‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Star Reveals Prostate Cancer Diagnosis

Longtime “Grey’s Anatomy” actor James Pickens Jr. has revealed that he was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer. In an interview with Black Health Matters, Pickens shared that the disease has a history in his family.

“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. I would have been surprised if I hadn’t gotten it,” he said.

Despite the family history, Pickens noted that he has never seen anyone die from the illness. “I’ve got a 90-year-old first cousin, who’s still alive, actually; he had it. His son has it. A couple of his brothers had it. No one, as far as I know, has succumbed to it,” he added.

Pickens is best known for playing Dr. Richard Webber on “Grey’s Anatomy,” appearing in all 22 seasons of the long-running show. He has also appeared on other TV series including “The Conners,” “Roseanne,” and “The X-Files.”

His diagnosis came after a routine PSA (prostate-specific antigen) test. An MRI showed something unusual, and a subsequent biopsy confirmed a tumor. Fortunately, it had not spread and was removed promptly. “We caught it really early, and so they thought that would be the best route to take,” Pickens said.

He also revealed that his cancer is a rare variant, which led doctors to be especially careful. “They wanted to err on the side of caution and keep an eye on it. It was rare enough that they wanted to make sure that they were crossing all the T’s and dotting all their I’s. But they hadn’t seen one that was detected as early as mine,” he explained.

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