Dr. Drew Pinsky revealed to People he secretly underwent treatment for prostate cancer last July. Thankfully, the television counselor is now cancer-free.
“We’re all bad as males. I convinced myself I could do my own primary care,” he said of the time leading up to his diagnosis in 2011. “These are very complicated issues. The message I want to give out is that this is still an art. So much of the good outcome for me was the result of people following their intuition.”
Dr. Drew explained symptoms of his cancer were innocuous at first: He fell violently ill soon after returning home from a vacation and went to the hospital. After it passed, he believed the illness was simply a tropical bug. However, his wife urged him to follow-up with doctors. It was then they discovered Dr. Drew had an elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA), which is a sign of prostate cancer. Upon getting a biopsy, the doctor learned he had cancer.
Almost immediately, Dr. Drew explained his thoughts shifted to how the prognosis would affect his life and career.
“I was doing Lifechangers (on the CW) and my HLN show was going. My wife and I had this great relationship, very active sexually. This could screw everything up. It was a terrible feeling,” he admitted.
Fortunately, the cancer was limited to Dr. Drew’s prostate. In July, he had the gland removed and quickly went back to work. Subsequent tests revealed the cancer has been wholly eliminated… Although, Dr. Drew didn’t need another doctor to tell him that.
“The erectile function is normal, sex drive is normal, bladder works normally,” he said. “And I don’t have to worry about prostate cancer.”
^Dr. Drew and wife Susan Sailer Pinsky at a Stand Up To Cancer event in 2010, one year before he was diagnosed.
According to The Prostate Cancer Foundation, 1-in-6 men are afflicted with prostate cancer at some point. If detected early, the prognosis is very good.
“Because approximately 90% of all prostate cancers are detected in the local and regional stages, the cure rate for prostate cancer is very high—nearly 100% of men diagnosed at this stage will be disease-free after five years,” the non-profit foundation explained.
In Dr. Drew’s case, his doctor’s agree the post-vacation bug was likely just a red herring. More typical symptoms of prostate cancer include trouble urinating, blood in the urine, discomfort in the pelvic area and/or erectile dysfunction.
Dr. Drew will explain his experience to another famous doctor on Wednesday’s episode of Dr. Oz. Tune in to ABC at 5/4c p.m.
