What Ben Stiller's Story Can Help Us Understand About Prostate Cancer

On screen

In October 2016, actor Ben Stiller publicly shared that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2014, at age 48. He said the cancer was found because his doctor had ordered a PSA blood test even though he had no symptoms, and that he was treated and later declared cancer-free. In the years since, he has continued to talk about the experience — including how frightening the diagnosis felt — and has credited early testing with catching his cancer.

We share only what he has chosen to make public, and we do not speculate about any private details of his care.

The reality

According to the National Cancer Institute, prostate cancer is the most common cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death among men in the United States. NCI notes that prostate cancer usually grows very slowly — so slowly that finding and treating it before symptoms occur may not always improve a man's health or help him live longer. That is part of what makes prostate cancer unusual: the same disease name covers cancers that may never cause harm and cancers that need prompt treatment.

The test at the center of Stiller's story, the PSA test, measures prostate-specific antigen, a protein made by both normal and cancerous prostate cells. NCI explains that conditions other than cancer — such as an enlarged prostate or inflammation — can also raise PSA levels, which is one reason an elevated result does not automatically mean cancer.

What the story gets right — and what to remember

Stiller has been open about believing the PSA test saved his life, and his experience shows how screening can find cancer before symptoms appear. At the same time, NCI notes that the PSA test is not recommended for routine screening of everyone, because screening has possible harms as well as possible benefits — including finding slow-growing cancers that might never have caused problems. Both things can be true: screening clearly mattered in one person's story, and it is still a decision each person should weigh individually. One man's diagnosis and treatment are not a roadmap for anyone else's, and no celebrity story is medical advice.

Awareness, screening & prevention

NCI reports that most professional medical organizations now recommend that people considering PSA screening first discuss the possible benefits and harms with their doctor. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force says that for men ages 55 to 69, the decision should be an individual one, made after that conversation; it does not recommend PSA screening at age 70 and older. Some organizations do recommend earlier, routine testing for men at higher risk — including Black men, men with certain inherited BRCA gene variants, and men whose father or brother had prostate cancer. You can read more in our plain-language guide to prostate cancer screening, and if you are not sure which screening conversations fit your age and history, our free screening check-up tool is a gentle place to start.

Turning a story into something useful

When someone as familiar as Ben Stiller talks openly about a cancer diagnosis, it gives many people permission to ask questions they had been putting off. A calm response is to learn what prostate cancer actually is, understand that PSA screening is a personal decision with pros and cons, and bring the question to a healthcare team rather than to fear. Sharing accurate, non-alarming information helps free cancer education reach the people who need it.

Questions to ask a healthcare team

• Given my age, race, and family history, should I consider PSA screening now?
• What are the possible benefits and harms of PSA testing in my situation?
• If my PSA is elevated, what happens next before any diagnosis is made?
• Where can I find reliable, plain-language information about prostate cancer?