Pickens, 73, who portrays Dr. Richard Webber on the hit ABC medical drama, was diagnosed with prostate cancer<\/a> following an annual physical in 2024.<\/p>\n “It\u2019s not the kind of news anyone wants to hear, but to be honest, prostate cancer has run through my family,” he told Black Health Matters<\/a>. “My father had it. He had a lot of brothers; several of them had it. I would have been surprised if I hadn\u2019t gotten it.”<\/p>\n ERIC DANE VOWS TO \u2018FIGHT TO THE LAST BREATH\u2019 IN ONGOING ALS BATTLE<\/a><\/p>\n James Pickens attends The Walt Disney Company’s Emmy Awards Celebration at The Music Center on Sept. 15, 2024, in Los Angeles.\u00a0 (Arya Doheny Jr.)<\/p>\n He added, “I\u2019ve got a 90-year-old first cousin, who\u2019s 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.”<\/p>\n Due to family history with the disease, Pickens is disciplined about monitoring his health.<\/p>\n \u2018GREY\u2019S ANATOMY’ STAR KATE WALSH SHARES \u2018VERY SUBTLE\u2019 WARNING SIGNS AHEAD OF BRAIN TUMOR DIAGNOSIS<\/a><\/p>\n \u00a0“My urologist said, \u2018Because you were so diligent in that piece of your health, it was to your advantage. We were able to catch it so early because you were being tested.'”<\/p>\n During an annual physical earlier this year, doctors referred Pickens to a urologist after they discovered the actor’s PSA (prostate-specific antigen) levels were elevated.<\/p>\n James Pickens Jr. portrays Dr. Richard Webber on “Grey’s Anatomy.” (ABC)<\/p>\n “It revealed, as he called it,\u00a0something suspicious,” he recalled.<\/p>\n After a biopsy revealed a tumor, a subsequent PET scan was ordered and showed the cancer had not spread.<\/p>\n CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER<\/a><\/p>\n Doctors gave Pickens two options: he could pursue radiation or undergo a radical prostatectomy.<\/a> He ultimately chose surgery to remove his prostate, which was performed robotically by two urologists.<\/p>\n Pickens has portrayed Dr. Richard Webber on “Grey’s Anatomy” since the medical drama debuted in 2005. (Anne Marie Fox\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n “We caught it really early, and so they thought that would be the best route to take,” he said before noting, “I do have a rare variant that you don\u2019t see very often. They wanted to err on the side of caution and keep an eye on it.”<\/p>\n Pickens added, “It 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.”<\/p>\n LIKE WHAT YOU\u2019RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS<\/a><\/p>\n![\"James](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/jamespickensjr.jpg\")
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