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"Good news is we caught it early. Not great news is that it's a little aggressive," said the 66-year-old anchor.
Al Roker revealed he has been diagnosed with prostate cancer.
The NBC weatherman, 66, shared the news on Friday's episode of "Today," where he told the audience that doctors had discovered the disease during a routine checkup back in September.
"It's a good news-bad news kind of thing," Roker explained. "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."
"It's a little more common than I think people realize, so I just decided that I wanted to go public with it because one in nine men are diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime," he continued. "But for African-American men, that number is one in seven and is more deadly, so if you detect it early, this is a really treatable disease and it's why I wanted to take you along my journey so we can all learn together."
Roker is set to undergo surgery at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City next week.
After he made the announcement, well wishes poured in from family and friends, beginning with his fellow newscasters.
"Thinking about my dear friend @alroker and wishing him the best as he faces prostate cancer. Sending so much love to you, Al!" shared Katie Couric, as Dan Rather posted, "@alroker my thoughts are with you on a full recovery. Thank you for using this difficult moment in you own life to educate and inform. You have likely saved lives."
Tamron Hall added, "Sending every ounce of love I have to my friend, my mentor, and a man who embodies loyalty. Mr. Roker we love you!!"
Hollywood heavyweights sent their support as well, with Jason Bateman writing, "Hurry back, @alroker," and Josh Gad posting, "Want to take a second to send lots of love to @alroker who I know in my heart is going to beat this!!! You got this and we got you."
As the heartfelt messages continued to roll in, Roker's wife, Deborah Roberts, took to her own Twitter to show her appreciation.
"As many of you now know my hubby is battling prostate cancer," she shared. "We are prayerful and hopeful he will be fine. Thanks for all the kind words, prayers and positivity."
Roker thanked his supporters, too, tweeting, "I want to thank everyone sending all the good thoughts, wishes and prayers our way. Looking forward to seeing you all in a couple of weeks.
See more reactions, below.
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