The short answer
Al Roker, the longtime TODAY show weatherman, was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2020 after a routine PSA blood test flagged a problem. The cancer was caught early but was somewhat aggressive, so he had surgery to remove his prostate. He went public to urge men, especially Black men, to get screened.
Al Roker announced his prostate cancer diagnosis on TODAY in November 2020, at age 66.
The cancer was found early through a routine PSA blood test, before he had symptoms.
It was described as somewhat aggressive, so he chose surgery to remove the prostate.
His surgery went well and doctors described the cancer as confined to the prostate, giving an excellent prognosis.
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The full explanation.
Who he is
Al Roker is one of the most familiar faces on American television, the longtime weather anchor and co-host of NBC's TODAY show, where he has delivered forecasts and warmth to viewers for decades. In November 2020, Roker used that platform for something more personal: he told his audience he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer, and he did it to make a point that could help other men catch the disease early.
The diagnosis
Roker announced his diagnosis on TODAY on November 6, 2020, at age 66. What is notable is how it was found. His cancer was picked up through a routine PSA test — a simple blood test that screens for elevated levels of prostate-specific antigen — before he had any symptoms. He summed up his situation candidly: "It's a good news-bad news kind of thing. Good news is we caught it early. Not great news is that it's a little aggressive, so I'm going to be taking some time off to take care of this."
That combination — early but somewhat aggressive — shaped what came next.
The treatment
The week after his announcement, Roker had surgery at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York to remove his prostate. His surgeon, Dr. Vincent Laudone, explained that after weighing all the options — surgery, radiation, and focal therapy — they chose to remove the prostate because the cancer, while limited to the gland, was more aggressive. The surgeon later reported that the operation went well and that, because the cancer seemed confined to the prostate, Roker had an excellent prognosis, with lifelong monitoring to make sure it does not come back.
Roker kept his trademark optimism throughout. "I don't want people thinking, 'Oh, poor Al,'" he said, "because I'm gonna be OK."
What his story teaches
Al Roker's story is one of the clearest arguments for screening you could ask for. His prostate cancer caused no symptoms — it was found only because a blood test flagged it. Early prostate cancer often works exactly this way, which is why the symptoms of prostate cancer are an unreliable guide on their own and why testing matters so much.
The tool that caught Roker's cancer was the PSA test, the blood test at the heart of prostate cancer screening. Screening is a decision to make with your doctor, weighing its benefits and trade-offs — but Roker's case shows what it can do: catch a cancer early enough that treatment offers an excellent outcome. He also used his diagnosis to highlight risk among Black men, who are more likely to develop prostate cancer and to die from it, and who may benefit from starting the screening conversation earlier. His message was simple: get checked, because a cancer found early is very often a cancer you can beat.
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The bottom line
Al Roker's prostate cancer was found by a routine blood test before he ever felt sick, treated with surgery, and left him with an excellent prognosis. He turned his diagnosis into a public nudge for men — especially Black men — to get screened, a reminder that early detection is what makes this common cancer so treatable.
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Common questions
▸What kind of cancer did Al Roker have?
Al Roker was diagnosed with prostate cancer, which he announced on the TODAY show in November 2020. It was caught early through a routine PSA blood test, but because it was described as somewhat aggressive, he decided to have surgery to remove his prostate.
▸How was his cancer found?
It was found through a PSA test — a simple blood test that measures prostate-specific antigen. Roker had no symptoms; the test flagged the problem, which led to further checks and the diagnosis. He has pointed to this as the reason his cancer was caught early.
▸How was Al Roker treated, and what was the outcome?
He had surgery to remove his prostate at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in November 2020. His doctors said the surgery went well and that the cancer appeared confined to the prostate, giving him an excellent prognosis, with ongoing monitoring to make sure it does not return.
▸Why did he stress screening for Black men?
Roker noted that African American men face a higher risk of prostate cancer and are more likely to die from it. He shared his diagnosis specifically to encourage men — and Black men in particular — to see a doctor and get checked, because the cancer is very treatable when found early.
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