Olivia Munn: breast cancer diagnosis and her decision on privacy — news 2024
1 april 2025 в 06:37
Olivia Mann admitted that she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2023, and she decided to keep this news a secret for a year.
In an open letter published on Instagram in March 2024, the former star of the series «Newsroom» detailed how her luminal type B breast cancer was discovered and explained why she chose to keep this information secret until now. Since then, Olivia has kept her fans informed about her journey, aiming to raise awareness about this type of cancer, which is the most common form of cancer in women in the United States, excluding skin cancer. It accounts for about 30% (or 1 in 3) of all new female cancers annually.
Find out about Olivia’s health update and learn more about her breast cancer diagnosis below.
On March 13, 2024, the star of «X-Men: Apocalypse» recalled the moment when she was diagnosed with cancer in a post on Instagram.
«In February 2023, seeking to be proactive about my health, I took a genetic test that checks you for 90 different cancer genes», - Olivia began. «Two months later, I was diagnosed with breast cancer… In the last ten months, I have had four surgeries, spent so many days in bed that I can’t even count… amazingly, I only cried twice. I tried to let people see me when I have energy, when I can dress up and leave the house, when I can take my baby to the park. I kept the diagnosis, worry, recovery, painkillers, and paper gowns a secret».
Olivia’s reason for hiding her cancer diagnosis from the public was that she «needed to gather strength and go through the toughest moments before sharing».
«I wouldn’t have found my cancer for another year — at my next scheduled mammogram — if my OB-GYN, Dr. Thais Aliabadi, hadn’t decided to calculate my breast cancer risk», - Olivia continued, adding, «The fact that she did that saved my life».
After studying various aspects, such as family history of cancer and giving birth to a child after 30, the doctor determined that Olivia’s «lifetime risk» was 37 percent.
«Because of this figure, I was scheduled for an MRI, which led to an ultrasound, which then led to a biopsy», - Olivia explained. «The biopsy showed that I had luminal type B breast cancer in both breasts. Luminal type B is an aggressive, rapidly progressing cancer. Thirty days after this biopsy, I had a double mastectomy. I went from being perfectly fine one day to waking up in a hospital bed after a 10-hour surgery the next».
Olivia also noted that she is «lucky» because she and her doctor «managed to detect this in time so that I had options». At the end of her message, Olivia remarked, «I want the same for any woman who may face this someday».
According to City of Hope’s cancercenter.com website, luminal type B «expresses estrogen or progesterone (or both) hormone receptors (HR)» and «does not express human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) protein».
The website also notes that the two types of breast cancer, luminal A and B, differ in that B «expresses the HER2 protein, which can accelerate the growth of cancer cells. As a result, luminal type B breast cancer is usually more aggressive, has a higher grade, and a worse prognosis than luminal type A»
In an open letter published on Instagram in March 2024, the former star of the series «Newsroom» detailed how her luminal type B breast cancer was discovered and explained why she chose to keep this information secret until now. Since then, Olivia has kept her fans informed about her journey, aiming to raise awareness about this type of cancer, which is the most common form of cancer in women in the United States, excluding skin cancer. It accounts for about 30% (or 1 in 3) of all new female cancers annually.
Find out about Olivia’s health update and learn more about her breast cancer diagnosis below.
On March 13, 2024, the star of «X-Men: Apocalypse» recalled the moment when she was diagnosed with cancer in a post on Instagram.
«In February 2023, seeking to be proactive about my health, I took a genetic test that checks you for 90 different cancer genes», - Olivia began. «Two months later, I was diagnosed with breast cancer… In the last ten months, I have had four surgeries, spent so many days in bed that I can’t even count… amazingly, I only cried twice. I tried to let people see me when I have energy, when I can dress up and leave the house, when I can take my baby to the park. I kept the diagnosis, worry, recovery, painkillers, and paper gowns a secret».
Olivia’s reason for hiding her cancer diagnosis from the public was that she «needed to gather strength and go through the toughest moments before sharing».
«I wouldn’t have found my cancer for another year — at my next scheduled mammogram — if my OB-GYN, Dr. Thais Aliabadi, hadn’t decided to calculate my breast cancer risk», - Olivia continued, adding, «The fact that she did that saved my life».
After studying various aspects, such as family history of cancer and giving birth to a child after 30, the doctor determined that Olivia’s «lifetime risk» was 37 percent.
«Because of this figure, I was scheduled for an MRI, which led to an ultrasound, which then led to a biopsy», - Olivia explained. «The biopsy showed that I had luminal type B breast cancer in both breasts. Luminal type B is an aggressive, rapidly progressing cancer. Thirty days after this biopsy, I had a double mastectomy. I went from being perfectly fine one day to waking up in a hospital bed after a 10-hour surgery the next».
Olivia also noted that she is «lucky» because she and her doctor «managed to detect this in time so that I had options». At the end of her message, Olivia remarked, «I want the same for any woman who may face this someday».
According to City of Hope’s cancercenter.com website, luminal type B «expresses estrogen or progesterone (or both) hormone receptors (HR)» and «does not express human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) protein».
The website also notes that the two types of breast cancer, luminal A and B, differ in that B «expresses the HER2 protein, which can accelerate the growth of cancer cells. As a result, luminal type B breast cancer is usually more aggressive, has a higher grade, and a worse prognosis than luminal type A»
© Zhinobaeva Margarita
