Olivia Munn: Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Tool ‘saved my life’

Olivia Munn was diagnosed with breast cancer with no symptoms, no family history and no warning signs—just one test that changed everything. And now she wants you to know about it.

Olivia Munn was honored at the Prevent Cancer Foundation’s Congressional Families® Program Annual कैंसर जागरूकता के लिए कार्रवाई पुरस्कार लंच, where she received the कैंसर जागरूकता में उत्कृष्टता पुरस्कार for raising awareness of स्तन कैंसर early detection and prevention. She spoke to an audience of members of Congress, congressional spouses, leaders in the cancer prevention community and Program supporters about her journey with breast cancer and the road that led to her diagnosis.

“It’s incredibly special to be standing here today,” she said.

Catching breast cancer early

In February 2023, Munn took a genetic test to assess her risk for 90 different types of cancer. With negative results across the board and a clear routine mammogram, Munn considered herself healthy—she never believed she could have been living with breast cancer.

But her OB-GYN recommended she take one more test: the Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Tool (BCRAT). The assessment is a questionnaire on the National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) website and is one of two risk assessment quizzes available. These tools are designed for health care providers to use with their patients.

While the BCRAT does not give a diagnosis, the test allows health care providers to estimate a woman’s risk of developing invasive breast cancer over the next five years and up to age 90 (lifetime risk), according to the NCI.

यह भी पढ़ें: What you need to know about the Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Tool 

Munn scored 37.3% on her BCRAT. Based on her results, Munn’s doctor ordered a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan to look for any signs of cancer that could have been missed in her routine mammogram. After an ultrasound and biopsy, Munn was diagnosed with stage one bilateral breast cancer—which may not have been caught until her next scheduled mammogram, according to her doctor.

As Munn reflected on the day she was first diagnosed, she described it as, “an overwhelmingly scary day.”

“To think about that moment, and then to be where I am today, it’s emotional,” she said. “It’s not something I, at the time, would have ever been able to predict would happen.”

Bilateral breast cancer is when tumors (clumps of cancerous cells) are found in both breasts simultaneously. Just 30 days after her biopsy, Munn underwent a double mastectomy. Since her diagnosis, she’s completed five surgeries, including an ovariectomy and hysterectomy, and began a five-year hormone treatment.

Munn’s early detection message for women

Munn was adamant about encouraging the other women in her life to take the BCRAT—especially her mother. Similar to her daughter, Munn’s mother had recently had a mammogram that came back normal. But when her mother eventually took the assessment and scored a 26.2%, Munn insisted she get an MRI as well. This led to her diagnosis of Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2 (HER2)-Positive breast cancer.

“The lifetime risk assessment saved my life and my mom’s,” Munn said.

Shortly after her diagnosis, Munn shared her story on social media, hoping to spread the word about the test she credits with saving her life by detecting her cancer early. Her goal is to advocate for other people to take the same action.

“I knew that I wanted to speak out about it, but especially because I had a tool that was free that everyone could take,” Munn said.

For the past two years, Munn has advocated for women’s health and breast health. According to the NCI, the rate of women taking the BCRAT has increased 4000% since she spoke out. She said after she learned about her diagnosis, she began thinking about all the other people in the world who believe themselves to be healthy, but in reality, have cancer growing in their bodies.

Munn said the most important thing she’s learned through her breast cancer journey is how extensive the support system of other breast cancer patients is, and she wants other people who are struggling to utilize the network.

“I want them to know that they’re never in this fight alone,” Munn said. “There is always someone that they can turn to and reach out to.”

Munn hoped that by sharing her experience with the BCRAT and her process with early detection, she would be able to help save other lives.

“This is about preventative care,” Munn said. “We know how to stop it, and it needs to be done. It can’t be found at stage two or three or four anymore. Enough is enough.”

शीघ्र पहचान = बेहतर परिणाम®. Talk to your doctor about early detection tools like the BCRAT and other steps you can take to अपने कैंसर के जोखिम को कम करें.