‘Gray’s Anatomy’ Star James Pickens Jr. Announces Prostate Cancer Diagnosis
James Pickens Jr., best known for his two-decade-long role as Dr. Richard Webber on ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy, has revealed he has been diagnosed with prostate cancer. The actor shared the news with Black Health Matters, citing a family history of the disease as a contributing factor to his proactive approach to health screenings. His early detection, facilitated by routine testing, allowed for swift intervention and a recent radical prostatectomy.
Pickens Jr.’s diagnosis underscores the importance of regular health checkups, notably for men with a family history of prostate cancer. Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in American men, according to the American Cancer society, and early detection substantially improves treatment outcomes. Pickens Jr.’s openness about his experience aims to encourage others to prioritize preventative care and screenings.
“It’s not the kind of news anyone wants to hear, but to be honest, prostate cancer has run through my family.My father had it. He had a lot of brothers; several of them had it,” pickens Jr. said. “I would have been surprised if I hadn’t gotten it.”
Doctors were able to catch the cancer early as of his consistent testing. He was referred to a urologist after a routine physical revealed elevated PSA levels. “I went back in January, and when my PSA numbers came back, my primary said, ‘Yeah, you know what? It’s ticked up some more. I want to send you back to the urologist,'” Pickens Jr. recalled.”The urologist looked at him and said,’Yeah,there’s something here. Let’s do an MRI,’ which we did, and it revealed, as he called it, ’something suspicious.'”
The actor underwent a radical prostatectomy, opting for the procedure after learning he had a rare variant of the disease.”We caught it really early, and so they thought that would be the best route to take. I do have a rare variant that you don’t see very often. They wanted to err on the side of caution and keep an eye on it,” he explained.
Pickens Jr. has portrayed Dr. Richard Webber throughout all 22 seasons of Grey’s anatomy. In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, he reflected on his long tenure with the show, stating he’s “been really blessed to play this character for provided that I have.” He added, “I’ve watched this character evolve over 21 seasons – his ups and downs, I’d like to think of him as being incredibly human through all this. We’ve taken this journey with him when he’s been victorious, when he’s been in valleys and had to climb himself back up.”
