LOS ANGELES — James Pickens Jr., known for his long-standing role as Dr. Richard Webber on “Grey’s Anatomy,” has revealed his prostate cancer diagnosis.

Having portrayed the iconic character for 22 seasons, Pickens credits early detection of the disease to his commitment to routine screenings.

“Receiving such news is never easy, but given my family’s history with prostate cancer, it wasn’t entirely unexpected,” the 73-year-old actor shared with Black Health Matters. “It affected my father and several of his brothers. I would have been surprised not to face it myself.”

This family history spurred him to undergo prostate-specific antigen (PSA) tests, which measure a protein produced by the prostate gland, as explained by the Mayo Clinic. Pickens has been proactive in taking these tests since the age of 41.

“My urologist said ‘because 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,’” he said. 

After learning about the diagnosis, which Pickens says his doctors “hadn’t seen one that was detected as early” as his, he decided to get a radical prostatectomy to prevent the cancer from spreading. Johns Hopkins defines a radical prostatectomy as a treatment option for the partial or full removal of the prostate.

He said two urologists used a robot to perform the surgery. He stayed in the hospital for a day afterward.

Pickens is now encouraging people to get screened by sharing his own experience. 

“I’m living proof that early detection works,” he said in a video posted to his social media. ” If you’re Black, or if prostate cancer runs in your family, talk to your doctor about getting screened at age 40.”

Prostate cancer is one of the most common types of cancer, with one in eight men being diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetime, according to the American Cancer Society. 

The ACS also says prostate cancer is slow growing and most people diagnosed are cured. 

It’s more likely to develop in older men and early screening is encouraged after 40. Prostate cancer risk is higher in African American men and in Caribbean men of African ancestry and anyone with a family history of prostate cancer according to the ACS.