Ben Stiller Wants to Use Cancer Diagnosis as Conversation Starter About Early Detection

Ben Stiller attends 'Little Boxes' Premiere - 2016 Tribeca Film Festival at Chelsea Bow Tie Cinemas on April 15, 2016 in New York City. Stiller revealed he had prostate cancer in an interview with Howard Stern on Oct. 4. Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images for Tribeca Film Festival

Funnyman Ben Stiller usually provides the laughs, but during a Tuesday appearance on SiriusXM’s The Howard Stern Show, Stiller was there to discuss a serious health topic.

Stiller revealed to Stern that he was diagnosed with prostate cancer two years ago and credits an early detection test called Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) for saving his life. Stiller was diagnosed with cancer on June 13, 2014, and was cancer-free three months later.

“If I hadn’t gotten the test—my doctor started giving it to me at 46—I still wouldn’t know,” the 50-year-old actor said on Oct. 4. “I wanted to talk about it because of the test, because I feel like the test saved my life.”