Olivia Munn has revealed her shocking breast cancer diagnosis. The 43-year-old actress shared the news in an Instagram post published on Wednesday, announcing that she underwent a double mastectomy after learning she had luminal B, “an aggressive, fast-moving” type of cancer.
“I hope by sharing this it will help others find comfort, inspiration and support on their own journey,” she captioned alongside a photo of herself lying in a hospital bed.
Ms. Munn’s health scare began in February 2023 when she took a genetic test that checks for 90 different cancer genes to be proactive about her health. “I tested negative for all, including BRCA (the most well-known breast cancer gene),” she explained.
“My sister Sara had just tested negative as well. We called each other and high-fived over the phone,” Ms. Munn continued. “That same winter I also had a normal mammogram.”
“The Newsroom” star received her breast cancer diagnosis just two months later, which led her to undergo a total of four surgeries in the past ten months.
“Surprisingly, I’ve only cried twice,” she candidly shared. “I guess I haven’t felt like there was time to cry. My focus narrowed and I tabled any emotions that I felt would interfere with my ability to stay clearheaded.”
Ms. Munn said she has remained private about her diagnosis and recovery process up until now because she wanted “to catch [her] breath and get through some of the hardest parts before sharing.”
Breast Cancer Diagnosis
Ms. Munn considered herself lucky to have caught her breast cancer when she did, noting that she likely wouldn’t have discovered it until her next mammogram, which wasn’t scheduled for another year.“My OBGYN, Dr. Thaïs Aliabadi, decided to calculate my Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Score,” she said. “The fact that she did saved my life.”
“Dr. Aliabadi looked at factors like my age, familial breast cancer history, and the fact that I had my first child after the age of 30,” she wrote. “She discovered my lifetime risk was at 37%. Because of that score I was sent to get an MRI, which led to an ultrasound, which then led to a biopsy. The biopsy showed I had Luminal B cancer in both breasts.”
Thirty days after undergoing her biopsy, Ms. Munn underwent 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,” she recalled.
Expressing Gratitude
Ms. Munn urged any women reading her post to ask their doctors to calculate their Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Score. “Dr. Aliabadi says that if the number is greater than 20%, you need annual mammograms and breast MRIs starting at age 30,” she said.The actress went on to thank her friends and family for supporting her throughout the chilling experience.
“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 added. “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,” she said before thanking her entire team of “nurses, patient coordinators and staff at Cedars-Sinai in LA and Saint John’s in Santa Monica.”
“I want to specifically thank my surgical oncologist Dr. Armando Giuliano, my reconstructive surgeon Dr. Jay Orringer, my oncologist Dr. Monica Mita, and especially my guardian angel, Dr. Thaïs Aliabadi,” she wrote. “Thank you thank you thank you thank you...”
