Barton Cowperthwaite, who starred in the Netflix drama, "Tiny Pretty Things," announced that doctors have detected a "lemon-sized" tumor in his brain.
"I was diagnosed with at least a stage 2 Glioma," Cowperthwaite said in a post on Instagram. The actor added that the tumor's cells originated in the brain, so doctors do not believe the tumor is the result of cancer from another part of the body.
Cowperthwaite is one of about 80,000 people in the U.S. who will be newly diagnosed with a primary brain tumor this year, according to the Cleveland Clinic. The nonprofit medical center says about 25% of those diagnoses are gliomas.
Cowperthwaite said he knew something was wrong because he's had numerous seizures over the past eight weeks. After going to the hospital and getting a CT scan, he said doctors noticed an abnormality. An MRI confirmed the tumor, Cowperthwaite said.
The 31-year-old said he plans to undergo surgery this week.
"Docs so far have been confident that they'll be able to remove most of the tumor, and that after a successful operation, and some rehab, I will be operating like my (amazing, talented, brilliant, hilarious) self," Cowperthwaite said.
New guidance says more people should be screened for lung cancer
The American Cancer Society says people between the ages of 50 and 80, who smoke or used to smoke, should consider undergoing a screening.
