Olivia Munn Breast Cancer and Double Mastectomy

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did she do IVF to get pregnant? Isn't there an increased risk of hormonal cancers like breast because of IVF treatments?

I also have breast cancer. This is a hot topic in some of the breast cancer groups. A lot of women, when they’re diagnosed, want to know what they did to cause it. And I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a link to IVF. But I will tell you, as a young, healthy woman who breastfed, exercised, conceived naturally, doesn’t drink, doesn’t smoke, etc…. Sometimes it’s a crapshoot. My tumor was hormone negative (meaning hormones weren’t the problem in my case).

NP here - hi PP, I am in Bethesda and was just diagnosed with BC a few weeks ago. If you have any good local resources, FB groups, support groups, could you please share with me. I am hormone positive by the way, and tumors are in my left breast. Never smoked, took drugs, hardly ever drink etc, but did IVF and did get covid waxed multiple times.

NP. Why do you mention the covid vax? Is there a correlation?

I talked to a friend's friend, who also has BC and she swears that she got it after her two covid vax......who knows....I got five Pfizers vaxs...

Fake news

While they haven’t documented a correlation, I will say this:

when I got my mammogram last week, they asked me when I got my last covid vax an on which side.

They asked the same question the year before. Last year I asked why and if there’s any issue/correlation. The response? “We aren’t supposed to say so, but many women coming in for scans experiencing pain have inflammation on the breast or armpit on the vax side.”

My obgyn told me the same thing.

The radiologists are tracking and I assume someone is studying this.

[Anonymous]

My surgeon removed a 6 cm ER+ tumor from my breast in November '23. I've had clean mammograms annually. A diagnostic mammogram, sonogram and an MRI in August all showed NOTHING. My cancer was diagnosed from a needle biopsy - during which the radiologist told me she was "grabbing blind" because the mass we could all feel, was invisible on her screen. I have dense breast tissue. None of the diagnostic tools were of any use to me in diagnosing my breast cancer, which spread to my lymph nodes. I'm glad Olivia Munn is raising awareness for the challenges facing women with dense breasts. We deserve better tools.

[Anonymous]

[img]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did she do IVF to get pregnant? Isn't there an increased risk of hormonal cancers like breast because of IVF treatments?

I also have breast cancer. This is a hot topic in some of the breast cancer groups. A lot of women, when they’re diagnosed, want to know what they did to cause it. And I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a link to IVF. But I will tell you, as a young, healthy woman who breastfed, exercised, conceived naturally, doesn’t drink, doesn’t smoke, etc…. Sometimes it’s a crapshoot. My tumor was hormone negative (meaning hormones weren’t the problem in my case).

NP here - hi PP, I am in Bethesda and was just diagnosed with BC a few weeks ago. If you have any good local resources, FB groups, support groups, could you please share with me. I am hormone positive by the way, and tumors are in my left breast. Never smoked, took drugs, hardly ever drink etc, but did IVF and did get covid waxed multiple times.

NP. Why do you mention the covid vax? Is there a correlation?

I talked to a friend's friend, who also has BC and she swears that she got it after her two covid vax......who knows....I got five Pfizers vaxs...

Fake news

While they haven’t documented a correlation, I will say this:

when I got my mammogram last week, they asked me when I got my last covid vax an on which side.

They asked the same question the year before. Last year I asked why and if there’s any issue/correlation. The response? “We aren’t supposed to say so, but many women coming in for scans experiencing pain have inflammation on the breast or armpit on the vax side.”

My obgyn told me the same thing.

The radiologists are tracking and I assume someone is studying this.

It is because of your lymph nodes. Because that is how the immune system works. It isn’t some conspiracy. It is literally how you produce the antibodies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have dense breasts and have been asking for ultrasound for a decade because I hate mammograms so much but no one will ever approve them. I just skip the mammograms mostly because they cause so much pain.

I noticed in the article that it said this type of breast cancer is typically very slow growing….is that the medical justification for not making this standard of care? Basically that it will show in a mammogram before it gets dangerous?

An MRI with contrast dye is best. I get one, along with a mammogram and ultrasound, every year. My breasts are very dense as well and, even though mammograms don't cause me any discomfort, I've been told that mammograms aren't great for seeing anything in dense breasts. My MRIs have twice detected something that the mammogram missed completely. (The ultrasound missed one of them). I'm high risk so I've been screened very carefully since I turned 30.

That sounds like excessive testing. The MRI should be enough. I have dense breast tissue and have never had an MRI for screening. Three tests a year is nuts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My surgeon removed a 6 cm ER+ tumor from my breast in November '23. I've had clean mammograms annually. A diagnostic mammogram, sonogram and an MRI in August all showed NOTHING. My cancer was diagnosed from a needle biopsy - during which the radiologist told me she was "grabbing blind" because the mass we could all feel, was invisible on her screen. I have dense breast tissue. None of the diagnostic tools were of any use to me in diagnosing my breast cancer, which spread to my lymph nodes. I'm glad Olivia Munn is raising awareness for the challenges facing women with dense breasts. We deserve better tools.

Very worrisome.

How did you even feel something with dense breasts? All I feel are lumps in my dense breasts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My surgeon removed a 6 cm ER+ tumor from my breast in November '23. I've had clean mammograms annually. A diagnostic mammogram, sonogram and an MRI in August all showed NOTHING. My cancer was diagnosed from a needle biopsy - during which the radiologist told me she was "grabbing blind" because the mass we could all feel, was invisible on her screen. I have dense breast tissue. None of the diagnostic tools were of any use to me in diagnosing my breast cancer, which spread to my lymph nodes. I'm glad Olivia Munn is raising awareness for the challenges facing women with dense breasts. We deserve better tools.

Lobular?

It’s unnerving that MRIs aren’t capturing these large tumors. It’s the best tool we have.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My surgeon removed a 6 cm ER+ tumor from my breast in November '23. I've had clean mammograms annually. A diagnostic mammogram, sonogram and an MRI in August all showed NOTHING. My cancer was diagnosed from a needle biopsy - during which the radiologist told me she was "grabbing blind" because the mass we could all feel, was invisible on her screen. I have dense breast tissue. None of the diagnostic tools were of any use to me in diagnosing my breast cancer, which spread to my lymph nodes. I'm glad Olivia Munn is raising awareness for the challenges facing women with dense breasts. We deserve better tools.

so sorry you had to go through that. i hope you are doing better now. thank you for sharing your experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:[img]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did she do IVF to get pregnant? Isn't there an increased risk of hormonal cancers like breast because of IVF treatments?

I also have breast cancer. This is a hot topic in some of the breast cancer groups. A lot of women, when they’re diagnosed, want to know what they did to cause it. And I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a link to IVF. But I will tell you, as a young, healthy woman who breastfed, exercised, conceived naturally, doesn’t drink, doesn’t smoke, etc…. Sometimes it’s a crapshoot. My tumor was hormone negative (meaning hormones weren’t the problem in my case).

NP here - hi PP, I am in Bethesda and was just diagnosed with BC a few weeks ago. If you have any good local resources, FB groups, support groups, could you please share with me. I am hormone positive by the way, and tumors are in my left breast. Never smoked, took drugs, hardly ever drink etc, but did IVF and did get covid waxed multiple times.

NP. Why do you mention the covid vax? Is there a correlation?

I talked to a friend's friend, who also has BC and she swears that she got it after her two covid vax......who knows....I got five Pfizers vaxs...

Fake news

While they haven’t documented a correlation, I will say this:

when I got my mammogram last week, they asked me when I got my last covid vax an on which side.

They asked the same question the year before. Last year I asked why and if there’s any issue/correlation. The response? “We aren’t supposed to say so, but many women coming in for scans experiencing pain have inflammation on the breast or armpit on the vax side.”

My obgyn told me the same thing.

The radiologists are tracking and I assume someone is studying this.

It is because of your lymph nodes. Because that is how the immune system works. It isn’t some conspiracy. It is literally how you produce the antibodies.

+1
If anything, if they think you are having some reaction to the vax, they are thinking it's LESS likely that you have a breast issue, not more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I posted not so much because I like Olivia, but because it’s so unsettling how many people I know who have had a normal mammogram just to end up with breast cancer within a few months. It’s make you feel like the standard screening just isn’t effective.

That was me, normal mammo in Nov 2022, Stage 3 breast cancer found on MRI in June 2023.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:the most surprising thing to me in her story is that the mri missed a tangerine-size tumor. not surprising the mammogram missed it unfortunately, but for the mri after to have missed this, and not to be found until mastectomy surgery?

Didn't she also say they reviewed the MRI again AFTER her first biopsy and found more concern in the other breast? I don't think it works that way. A radiologist is a professional that would include any abnormalities in the original interpretation. So much of this doesn't make sense. Then they found tangerine sized cancer when they operated? I was always told an MRI is very sensitive, sometimes too sensitive, which is why it's not standard. Something benign could lead to an excessive amount of biopsies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:the most surprising thing to me in her story is that the mri missed a tangerine-size tumor. not surprising the mammogram missed it unfortunately, but for the mri after to have missed this, and not to be found until mastectomy surgery?

Didn't she also say they reviewed the MRI again AFTER her first biopsy and found more concern in the other breast? I don't think it works that way. A radiologist is a professional that would include any abnormalities in the original interpretation. So much of this doesn't make sense. Then they found tangerine sized cancer when they operated? I was always told an MRI is very sensitive, sometimes too sensitive, which is why it's not standard. Something benign could lead to an excessive amount of biopsies.

I'm also wondering if she's messing up the timeline or the findings, which would be understandable with traumatic news.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have dense breasts and have been asking for ultrasound for a decade because I hate mammograms so much but no one will ever approve them. I just skip the mammograms mostly because they cause so much pain.

I noticed in the article that it said this type of breast cancer is typically very slow growing….is that the medical justification for not making this standard of care? Basically that it will show in a mammogram before it gets dangerous?

I wrote this in the other Olivia Munn post in the Health & Medicine forum but it got locked so I'm sharing again here.

I just wanted to chime in for those who are worried they aren't wealthy enough for the proper screening.

I am a big fan of Herscan, which travels up and down the east coast doing affordable breast ultrasound screenings. I have dense breasts and have not always had doctors who were proactive with US screenings.

My cancer was diagnosed via Herscan after a clear mammo and it was incredibly accurate (caught the cancer in 2 different quadrants). So I feel I need to do my part to advocate for ultrasounds for dense breasts, and Herscan if your insurance isn't covering it or your doctor won't order it.

thank you for sharing. sometimes beyond all the snipe and viper, DCUM comes through with gems such as this. much appreciative for this information.

+1 Thank you so much. I just signed up for one this fall in Charlotte.

[Anonymous]

When Olivia first announced her journey, I was glad to see her raising awareness that it's not always easy to just feel a lump or get a questionable mammogram reading and go down the rabbit hole until you figure out what's going on with scans, tests, MRIs etc. I was going through treatment at the time she announced it - double mastectomy etc. - and was grateful for her to start the conversation.

Today, though, I am so disappointed in her - I think she did a podcast - and talked about her mastectomy surgery. I'm not judging her emotional reaction - it's a very, very personal thing and I cried too. But, to say that it looked like her surgeon "gave her Tupperware and duct tape" as stage one in her reconstruction - she mentioned tissue expanders - is SUCH a disservice to women undergoing this.

I find it extremely hard to believe (as someone who also lost a considerable amount of chest tissue as well ) that tupperware and duct tape are the best descriptors. Plastic surgeons and breast reconstruction experts are amazing. If that was the case - that it was so horrific - find another dr. File a complaint. Prior to my surgery I was terrified about what I would look like, did a lot of research and found A TON of amazing specialists and experts. I also learned that breast cancer reconstruction surgery must be covered by insurance - it's a Federal law.

So, get a new doctor but don't share that kind of horror story with other women. Share your journey if you want, but what a disservice to women with breast cancer and plastic surgeons to share this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When Olivia first announced her journey, I was glad to see her raising awareness that it's not always easy to just feel a lump or get a questionable mammogram reading and go down the rabbit hole until you figure out what's going on with scans, tests, MRIs etc. I was going through treatment at the time she announced it - double mastectomy etc. - and was grateful for her to start the conversation.

Today, though, I am so disappointed in her - I think she did a podcast - and talked about her mastectomy surgery. I'm not judging her emotional reaction - it's a very, very personal thing and I cried too. But, to say that it looked like her surgeon "gave her Tupperware and duct tape" as stage one in her reconstruction - she mentioned tissue expanders - is SUCH a disservice to women undergoing this.

I find it extremely hard to believe (as someone who also lost a considerable amount of chest tissue as well ) that tupperware and duct tape are the best descriptors. Plastic surgeons and breast reconstruction experts are amazing. If that was the case - that it was so horrific - find another dr. File a complaint. Prior to my surgery I was terrified about what I would look like, did a lot of research and found A TON of amazing specialists and experts. I also learned that breast cancer reconstruction surgery must be covered by insurance - it's a Federal law.

So, get a new doctor but don't share that kind of horror story with other women. Share your journey if you want, but what a disservice to women with breast cancer and plastic surgeons to share this.

I'm in no way an Olivia Munn fan, but sounds like she was describing her own experience after being asked to do so. I'm sorry she, and you, and every other person on a similar journey has to hurt.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My surgeon removed a 6 cm ER+ tumor from my breast in November '23. I've had clean mammograms annually. A diagnostic mammogram, sonogram and an MRI in August all showed NOTHING. My cancer was diagnosed from a needle biopsy - during which the radiologist told me she was "grabbing blind" because the mass we could all feel, was invisible on her screen. I have dense breast tissue. None of the diagnostic tools were of any use to me in diagnosing my breast cancer, which spread to my lymph nodes. I'm glad Olivia Munn is raising awareness for the challenges facing women with dense breasts. We deserve better tools.

Was it lobular? That’s scary - I get MRIs and was feeling pretty confident about them. My lobular cancer never caused a lump. Ugh.