US actress Olivia Munn has revealed she was diagnosed with breast cancer last year, and has had four operations in the past 10 months.
Posting on Instagram, the 43-year-old Newsroom star said her surgeries had included a double mastectomy. Munn said the cancer was “aggressive” and “fast moving”, but was caught with “enough time that I had options”.
She added that she had “wanted to get through the hardest parts before sharing” the news. Munn's health update comes three days after she attended the Oscars with her partner, comedian John Mulaney. They share two-year-old son Malcolm.
The actress, who has appeared in Magic Mike, Iron Man 2 and X-Men: Apocalypse, said she found out about the cancer after testing for 90 different cancer genes and going for a mammogram.
Although those tests were negative, Munn said her doctor worked out her “breast cancer risk assessment score” – which later led to further tests including a biopsy, which showed “I had Luminal B cancer in both breasts”.
‘I'm lucky'
Sharing her message alongside pictures and a video from hospital, she wrote: “Luminal B is an aggressive, fast moving cancer.
“Thirty days after that biopsy I had a double mastectomy. I went from feeling completely fine one day, to waking up in a hospital bed after a 10-hour surgery the next.
“I'm lucky,” she added. “We caught it with enough time that I had options.” She also said that, since the diagnosis, “l've only cried twice”. Munn ended the post by praising Mulaney, her family and friends, as well as doctors, nurses and hospital staff.
“I'm so thankful to John for the nights he spent researching what every operation and medication meant and what side effects and recovery I could expect,” she said.
“For being there before I went into each surgery and being there when I woke up, always placing framed photos of our little boy Malcolm so it would be the first thing I saw when I opened my eyes.
“Thank you to the friends who've had breast cancer and the friends who connected me to friends who've had breast cancer for guiding me through some of my most uncertain and overwhelming moments.”
‘Fighting so hard'
Mulaney commented on the post, thanking Munn for “fighting so hard to be here for us”.
“Malc and I adore you,” he added. UK charity Breast Cancer Now said that although breast cancer is less common in younger women, about one in seven cases in the UK are in women in their 40s.
“Anyone in the UK who's worried about their risk or family history of the disease can speak to their GP to find out if they're eligible for further assessment,” said Sally Kum, the charity's associate director of nursing.
“It's also crucial that women know the signs and symptoms of breast cancer and the importance of regular breast checking, as the sooner breast cancer is diagnosed, the greater the chance of treatment being successful.”
Breast cancer symptoms and signs
- A new lump or area of thickened tissue in either breast that was not there before
- A change in the size or shape of one or both breasts
- A discharge of fluid from either of your nipples
- A lump or swelling in either of your armpits
- A change in the look or feel of your skin, such as puckering or dimpling, a rash or redness
- A rash (like eczema), crusting, scaly or itchy skin or redness on or around your nipple
- A change in the appearance of your nipple, such as becoming sunken into your breast
— CutC by bbc.com
