Larry King has secretly been battling lung cancer after being diagnosed during a routine doctors visit in July.
The 83-year-old television star said he got the news during a doctors visit when they decided to do a X-ray of his chest.
‘The doctor said to me, “Something looks funny,’ King told Us Weekly.
‘They said the spot looked pretty small. I then did a CAT scan then a PET scan and then he said to me, “You have lung cancer, but it looks very small, in the beginning stages.'”
Larry King, pictured in 1990, has secretly been battling lung cancer after being diagnosed during a routine doctors visit in July
King, who is pictured with Extra’s Mario Lopez on Tuesday, revealed his battle with cancer nearly two months after he had the tumor removed
The 83-year-old television star said he got the news during a doctors visit when they decided to do a X-ray of his chest. King is pictured left in 2014 and right in 1985
Luckily for the Brooklyn native, doctors caught the cancer at an early stage and were able to forego chemotherapy.
King’s doctor told him the cancer was malignant, but because they caught it in stage 1 they were able to surgically remove the tumor.
He underwent surgery to remove 20 percent of his lung on July 17 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles and was back to work in two weeks.
If the doctors hadn’t spotted the tumor in the chest scan they told him he would have ‘had trouble’ a few years down the road.
Since the surgery he’s been back to the hospital for follow-up visits, and said that everything is looking normal and healthy.
‘They showed me my last chest X-ray, which is all clear,’ he told Us. ‘It was fun to see where that spot was and there is no spot now.’
The broadcast journalist has had a myriad of health issues through the years, including diabetes, heart disease and prostate cancer. However, those prior health issues proved beneficial in catching his lung cancer early, he said, because he oges in frequently for screenings.
In February of 1987 he had his last cigarette after suffering a heart attack, for which he underwent a bypass procedure.
Doctors were able to catch his prostate cancer early, too, and were able to treat it entirely with radiation.
King told Us that the recent lung cancer diagnosis is related to his prior tobacco use, even though he hasn’t had a cigarette in 30 years.
He underwent surgery to remove 20 percent of his lung on July 17 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles and was back to work in two weeks. King is pictured with jay Leno in April 1997 during an interview on The Tonight Show
If the doctors hadn’t spotted the tumor in the chest scan they told him he would have ‘had trouble’ a few years down the road, but for now say he’s looking healthy. King is pictured during an interview with Bette Midler on Larry King Live in 2003
Though he quit 30 years ago, King said the cancer is definitely related to his previous cigarette use. He is pictured interviewing P Diddy on Larry King Live in 2004
‘I smoked for 30 years, the day of the day of the heart attack,’ he said during an interview with Extra.
‘The last day of the heart attack, I never smoked again, and I smoked three packs a day – I smoked in the shower.
‘Thirty years later, I said to the doctor [about the lung cancer diagnosis] “Is this connected with that?” Absolutely.’
And now, he said he hopes others can learn from his diagnosis.
‘When you are [getting a checkup, get a chest X-ray because lung cancer ain’t going to tell you it’s there, but a simple chest X-ray will,’ he said.
‘If it shows you one little spot, you will do a CAT scan. They are painless.’
And for now, King he doesn’t plan on slowing down.
‘I will probably die on the air,’ he said, explaining that even after the intrusive surgery he’s never felt better.
Regardless of his health battles, King said he has no plans to slow down, and that he will ‘probably die on air’. He is pictured during an interview with Katie Couric in 2007
And during his long career, King has been married eight times to seven different women, one of who he married twice. His current wife is Shawn Southwick, a 57-year-old singer, actress and television host. The two are pictured together during the 2014 Carousel of Hope Ball in Beverley Hills
‘I have beaten so many things health-wise to feel this good now. I have no plans to retire.’
Though King is an avid Twitter user, he hasn’t mentioned the cancer on his social media yet.
Throughout his career King has worked as an American television and radio host and been recognized with a variety of awards, including 10 Cable ACE Awards.
He first gained notoriety in 1978 when he started working as an all-night national radio broadcaster.
Then, in 1985 he started hosting the nightly program Larry King Live on CNN. Currently he hosts Larry King Now on Hulu and RT America during the week.
And during his long career, King has been married eight times to seven different women, one of who he married twice. His current wife is Shawn Southwick, a 57-year-old singer, actress and television host.
He has five children, nine grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.