Olivia Munn revealed on Tuesday that she privately battled breast cancer and underwent a double mastectomy to combat the aggressive form of cancer discovered by doctors.
In a series of posts shared on social media, the 43-year-old actress was candid about her diagnosis, which she received in 2023. Munn said she “took a genetic test that checks for 90 different cancer genes…I tested negative for all of them, including BRCA (the most well-known breast cancer gene).”
Munn explained that the following winter she also had “a normal mammogram.” Then, two months later, she was diagnosed with an “aggressive, rapidly evolving cancer” classified as Luminol B.
Munn’s efforts to raise awareness about breast cancer seemed to encourage many to want to learn more about the cancer she has been fighting and how breast cancers are studied and categorized by doctors in an effort to better treat them.
According to the Mayo ClinicThere are four main groups that breast cancers are divided into based on newly developed genetic tests of the cancer cells themselves.
The groups are based on whether or not cancer cells have receptors that use natural hormones – estrogen and progesterone – to promote their growth and development. Cancers that grow through estrogen are ER positive, while cancers with progesterone receptors are PR positive.
Cancers without any hormone receptors are known as HR negative.
Additionally, doctors have been able to screen cancer cells for the HER2 gene, and cancers with many copies of the HER2 gene produce an excess amount of the growth-promoting protein HER2.
Cancer groups are made up of different cancer types with different markers and group compositions. The first group, known as Luminal A, includes “tumors that are ER-positive and PR-positive but HER2-negative.” These types of breast cancer “are likely to benefit from hormone therapy and may also benefit from chemotherapy.”
The second group, known as Luminal B — the type Munn has been fighting — includes “tumors that are ER positive, PR negative and HER2 positive.” These are cancers that “are likely to benefit from chemotherapy and may benefit from hormonal therapy and HER2-targeted treatment.”
The third group, known as HER2-Positive, are cancers that are HER2-positive but PR and ER negative. These cancer types “are likely to benefit from chemotherapy and HER2-targeted treatment.”
The fourth group, known as basal-like cancer or triple-negative breast cancer, includes “tumors that are ER negative, PR negative, and HER2 negative.” Chemotherapy specifically is considered the most effective treatment in these cases.
“Understanding more about the chemical and genetic makeup of your cancer can help doctors choose the most effective treatment for your specific cancer,” emphasizes the Mayo Clinic.
In Munn’s post, she revealed that in the last 10 months she has undergone a total of four surgeries and learned a lot about the disease and hormones.
“Surprisingly, I only cried twice,” she wrote. “I guess I didn’t feel like there was time to cry. My focus narrowed and I suppressed any emotions I felt that might interfere with my ability to remain lucid.”
Munn admitted that she only allowed people to see her when she had “energy,” noting that she took many trips to the park with her and husband John Mulaney’s 2-year-old son, Malcolm.
“I kept the diagnosis, the worry, the recovery, the pain meds and the paper gowns private,” she said. “I needed to catch my breath and get through some of the harder parts before sharing.”
Munn also revealed that it could have been another year before her cancer was detected if not for her doctor doing a breast cancer risk assessment. After a biopsy, Munn said she had the mastectomy.
“Thirty days after that biopsy, I had a double mastectomy,” she wrote. “I went from feeling completely fine one day to waking up in a hospital bed after a 10-hour surgery the next.”
Munn ended his message with thanks. On a special note, she celebrated Mulaney for trying hard and taking care of her son.
Munn’s emotional post ended with a photo of her hospital bedside table, which had a framed photo of Mulaney and her smiling son.
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