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\n \u201cGrey\u2019s Anatomy\u201d actor James Pickens Jr. saves lives on screen, but says early detection saved his.\n <\/p>\n
\n The actor, who has portrayed Dr. Richard Webber on the ABC hit for more than 20 years, appeared in an Instagram video on Friday<\/a>, in which he disclosed that he is \u201cliving proof\u201d that early detection for prostate cancer \u201cworks.\u201d\n <\/p>\n \n In a conversation with Black Health Matters<\/a>, Pickens, 71, said he\u2019s always prioritized his yearly physical and noted that prostate cancer runs in his family.\n <\/p>\n \n In 2024, he said, his primary physician recommended that he see a urologist after a blood test came back with elevated numbers that caused concern.\n <\/p>\n \n A biopsy later revealed a tumor, but a PET scan showed the cancer had not spread. He went on to have a robotic procedure to remove part of his prostate.\n <\/p>\n \n \u201cIt was rare enough that they wanted to make sure that they were crossing all the T\u2019s and dotting all their I\u2019s. But they hadn\u2019t seen one that was detected as early as mine,\u201d he told the organization.\n <\/p>\n \n The real-life news mirrored Pickens\u2019 character\u2019s storyline on \u201cGrey\u2019s,\u201d which aired its midseason finale on Thursday.\n <\/p>\n \n In it, his character disclosed that he\u2019d been diagnosed with cancer. No further details were provided on screen. The show returns for the second half of its season in January.\n <\/p>\n \n Prostate cancer affects 1 in 8 men, according to the American Cancer Society<\/a>. The risk is even higher in Black men, as Pickens pointed out in his video, adding \u201cearly detection is key.\u201d\n <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n