‘Bachelorette’ Star Katie Thurston Fears Breast Cancer May Have Spread After Lesions Found on Liver

The 34-year-old TV personality revealed in February that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer.

Katie Thurston attends the celebration for Nick Jonas's grand opening of his new San Diego rooftop restaurant in San Diego on Oct. 7, 2022. Leon Bennett/Getty Images for Villa One Tequila Gardens

Former “Bachelorette” star Katie Thurston has shared a concerning health update amid her battle with breast cancer.

On Monday, Thurston, 34, revealed via Instagram that doctors had discovered two lesions on her liver, potentially indicating that her cancer has progressed to stage 4.

The television personality added that she had “small to moderate” ascites. The condition arises when fluid accumulates in the abdomen, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. A small right pleural effusion was also present, indicating a buildup of fluid between Thurston’s lung and chest wall, per the Cleveland Clinic.

“My biopsy is scheduled Friday which would have been my treatment day. We now wait,” she wrote.

Thurston said her doctors appeared to believe her liver spots were likely cancerous rather than benign.

“This would put me at stage 4,” she wrote. “I'd love to hear from my sisters who are stage 4 in terms of quality of life, motherhood, etc.”

Thurston, who starred in the 17th season of ABC’s dating show “The Bachelorette,” announced her breast cancer diagnosis last month.

In a Feb. 15 Instagram post, she wrote that she spent Valentine’s Day coordinating medical appointments, including scheduling another biopsy and meeting with her cancer care team to discuss her treatment plan.

“I experienced a range of emotions over the past two weeks. Despair. Anger. Sadness. Denial. And then strength. Purposeful. Ready. I cried a lot,” she wrote.

“But one thing I did early on was search other stories like mine. Other young women with breast cancer. Invasive ductal carcinoma. Mastectomy. Pregnancy after breast cancer. All of their stories helped,” she continued.

“So I intend to be the same for others. This is day one of sharing and is going to be a long one. This first step of acceptance of my reality was the hardest. But I am ready to fight this.”

Battle With Breast Cancer

Thurston, who appeared as a contestant on season 25 of “The Bachelor” before being selected as “The Bachelorette,” has kept her fans and followers updated on her breast cancer journey since announcing her diagnosis.

Last week, the reality star shared that she met with a breast surgeon, who told her that she may be able to undergo a lumpectomy procedure instead of a full mastectomy.

According to the Mayo Clinic, a lumpectomy, or partial mastectomy, involves removing the cancerous tumor and a small portion of the surrounding breast tissue while keeping the breast intact.

“It all varies of course after treatment and shrinkage, but the entire time I just accepted mastectomy [was the only option],” she wrote on March 19.

“But the biggest thing she said, that all my doctors are saying, is they’re seeing a rise in young patients and they don’t know why. I wish this was a more talked about epidemic,” she added.

“Last summer when I felt my lump, I might have been more concerned. So it’s my mission to spread the message far and wide about what is going on. And you all are helping me with that. So thank you.”

According to the American Cancer Society, breast cancer is more prevalent among middle-aged and older women, with the median age of diagnosis being around 62 years. While only a small number of women are typically diagnosed before the age of 45, the organization notes that breast cancer diagnoses in women under 50 have been on the rise in recent years, increasing by 1.4 percent.

“Just really pushing the reminder that breast cancer does not discriminate and encouraging those under 40 to be proactive instead of waiting for their first routine mammogram,” Thurston wrote on March 18.

The television personality did have good news to share amid her battle with breast cancer.

On Monday, Thurston revealed that she and her fiancé, comedian Jeff Arcuri, had tied the knot. “We said ‘I do’ on March twenty two,” she shared via Instagram.

Ahead of the wedding ceremony, Thurston told Us Weekly that her health challenges had brought her and Arcuri closer together.

“You would think it would cause more tribulation or problems between you, but it’s bonded us more than anything else, which is why we’re moving up the wedding a little bit,” she told the publication on March 20.

Thurston said she and Arcuri obtained a marriage license and flew in their parents from Washington state and Michigan, respectively, for their intimate backyard ceremony.

“Obviously, we were wanting to plan a wedding and there’s a lot of emotions that come in with chemo and the impact and the health and we don’t know what the next year looks like,” she explained.

“And one night [Jeff] said, ‘I want to show you that I still love you and that I’m here to stay. I’ll get married to you tomorrow.’”