Comedian Pauly Shore has shared an emotional plea for followers to undergo preventative health scans after a tumour was discovered in his pancreas. The 57-year-old actor, best known for his role in Encino Man, revealed he had surgery to remove a benign tumour after a full-body scan detected the growth.
In an Instagram video posted on Wednesday, Shore described how he had the scan at SimonMed in Las Vegas three months ago as a preventative measure. “A week later, they called me with the results. They noticed something in my abdominal area. It was a tumour inside my pancreas,” he wrote. He contacted doctors in Los Angeles, who recommended removal.
Shore said the tumour was benign and may have been present for 15 to 20 years. “It wasn’t an emergency, but my doctor felt removing it was the right thing to do. Mentally, it really messed with me,” he admitted. He noted that he had no symptoms and had always been diligent about his health, but had never undergone a full-body scan.
The comedian acknowledged that such scans can be expensive in the US, costing up to $2,000. “Instinct played a huge role in this. If I hadn’t followed mine and gotten that scan, I might have never found out about the tumour,” he said, urging followers to share his message. “You want to find it before it finds you.”
In the accompanying video, Shore broke down in tears while discussing his recovery, saying, “It’s been tough. The aftermath of abdomen surgery is pretty f***ing hard.” He confirmed he still has his entire pancreas and spent one night in hospital followed by three nights at home on pain medication.
