Eric Braeden, who has starred in “Young and the Restless” for a span of four decades, says he no longer has cancer.
The 82-year-old German-born soap opera actor shared that he had been diagnosed with cancer in April after dealing with prostate issues and that he had been undergoing immunotherapy.
Now months later, Braeden — who was cast as the fictional villain Victor Newman for the long-running CBS series in 1980 — announced that he was cancer-free.
“I’m cancer-free. They couldn’t find the damn thing,” he said in a post shared on Aug. 13 on Facebook Live. “So thank you for all of your good thoughts. All of your prayers meant a great deal to me.”
“Now, this does not mean that it is all over,” he continued, sharing that he still needs to undergo a couple procedures.
When did Eric Braeden get diagnosed with cancer?
In April, Braeden shared in a video post shared to his social media pages that he had been diagnosed with cancer.
In the clip, the actor shared that his diagnosis came soon after he’d sought medical assistance over the pain he was experiencing with his prostate and bladder while urinating.
He shared that one doctor inserted a catheter to evaluate his bladder and it appeared clear. However, the pain returned and a second doctor placed another catheter and the results showed he had cancer.
“Needless to say, I was taken aback, but I was determined to deal with it,” Braeden said at the time.
What treatments did Eric Braeden undergo?
He underwent a surgery to remove the cancer. However a biopsy done “about a week later,” he said, shows that he still had some cancer cells that still needed to be treated.
He then underwent six weeks of immunotherapy treatments.
“So I didn’t have a really bad reaction the first day,” he said of his first infusion in April. “It was OK, a little flu-sy, but not bad. And it got better as the days went by.”
In his Aug. 13 video update, Braeden said he had his “last cystoscopy two days ago — that’s when they thread a camera into your bladder — and I am cancer-free.”
The actor revealed that he still needs to “do three prophylactic infusions,” explaining that he would have to undergo three BCG treatments in three weeks as a form of follow-up care. According to the Cleveland Clinic, the procedure delivers immunotherapy drugs directly to a person’s bladder via a catheter.
He is also awaiting results of an MRI to confirm that the cancer hasn't spread.
How is Eric Braeden feeling?
The soap star is staying positive amid his health struggles. In his video he said that being cancer free “makes me happy.”
“I love life, man. Why wouldn’t I?” he expressed. “I’m working on the No. 1 show. It has been No. 1 for 38 years now. Why would I complain? That would be obscene.”
The actor was keeping his spirits high and shared how he’s connected with so many people, friends and family during his cancer battle.
“My health is good. I feel good, I really do. I can’t complain,” he added, thanking everyone for the well wishes from around the world.
Why did he decide to share his diagnosis and cancer journey?
In May, Braeden said that he decided to speak out after his misdiagnosis to raise awareness and to encourage men not to fear having their prostate and bladder examined.
“I was misdiagnosed at first, and it led to another one, and they said, ‘You have cancer,’” he told “Entertainment Tonight.” “Not good. The word ‘cancer’ is scary, but I try to be a good role model.”
He added that he wanted men to not be scared.
“I want them to know to have your prostate examined, have your bladder examined, have your colon examined. Just acquaint yourself with it and be open about it, so that way you take the fear out of people,” he continued.
