Larry King has secretly been battling lung cancer after being diagnosed during a routine doctor's visit in July.

The 83-year-old television star said he got the news 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.'"

On Tuesday in an interview with Extra's Mario Lopez, he said the diagnosis 'wasn't really a battle,' because he has a checkup every year.

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

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

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Shortness of breath

Bloody Mucus Treatment generally consists of a combination of surgery, chemotherapy and radiation, depending how far along the disease is progressed. There are three types of Lung cancer Non-small cell - the most common type Small cell Lung Carcinoid Tumor Lung cancer is the number one cause of cancer deaths in men and women in the United States and worldwide. The five-year survival rate is around 54 percent for early stage if it is localized to the lungs, and four percent if it is in advanced stages. Information from the American Cancer Society Advertisement

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.

'They did it so well. They said, "You have a very early stage of lung cancer." They said, "You can go to Europe, you can speak and come back,' he said on Extra.

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.

That's because often lung cancer doesn't show symptoms until later stages.

If the disease is caught in a late stage and has grown to a significant size or has spread, it can be inoperable and cause death.

'I had no clue at all. If I had not had the chest X-ray, it would have progressed,' King told Lopez on Tuesday.

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 goes in frequently for screenings.

'I have a checkup every year,' King said on Extra. 'I've gone through a lot in live - I've had a heart attack and heart surgery. Part of my checkup is the chest X-ray, and that is the protocol.'

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.'

He also said that he is going to keep getting scans every six months.

And King isn't the only celebrity urging people to get scanned for the disease.

The Rolling Stones' guitarist Ronnie Wood was diagnosed with lung cancer in May after a tumor was discovered by chance that proved to be cancerous.

The 70-year-old smoked for roughly 50 years before quitting last year when his twin daughters, Gracie and Alice, were born.

Wood was diagnosed when his doctors asked if he wanted to have a chest scan, and said the news didn't surprise him, but that he was glad he'd done it so they could just 'get it out' of him.

Now, he advocates for people who reach a certain age to undergo chest scans, especially if they have a history of smoking.

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 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.

'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.