What’s YOUR breast cancer risk? As Olivia Munn shares test that ‘saved her life’ – you can take it too
ACTRESS Olivia Munn has revealed that she has breast cancer and underwent a double mastectomy last year.
The 43-year-old tested positive for the so-called “Angelina Jolie” BRCA gene just months before the big op, she said yesterday.
The mutations leave women up to 22-times more likely to develop ovarian cancer and six-times more likely to develop breast cancer.
The X-Men star claimed an online test, which calculated her lifetime risk of breast cancer as 37 per cent, “saved my life”.
Those results led to the actor having an MRI, ultrasound and biopsies, which revealed she had “an aggressive, fast-moving cancer” in both breasts.
“I’m lucky, we caught it with enough time, and I had options.” Olivia posted on Instagram on Wednesday along with photos and a video of her being treated at a hospital.
“I want the same for any woman who might have to face this one day.”
The breast cancer risk assessment tool (BCRAT) is used by medics to predict a woman’s risk of developing the disease, according to the National Cancer Institute.
The assessment, which takes as little as five minutes to complete, uses a woman’s personal information, such as her age during her first period and medical history, to determine the risk.
The test, used by doctors, cannot predict breast cancer risk for women who have already had the disease and those with the BRCA gene.
It seems women who have more than a 1.67 per cent risk of developing breast cancer are at ‘high risk’.
Those who have a lifetime risk of 20 per cent or higher are also considered high risk.
Women are offered free mammograms on the NHS every three years between the ages of 50 and 71 in Britain.
Women over the age of 30 in the US are encouraged to get checked annually.
Mammograms are vital for early detection of breast cancer, which affects 55,000 women and 400 men every year.
Around 11,500 women and 85 men die from the disease annually but the risk is far lower if the cancer is caught earlier.
TO FIND OUT YOUR RISK, TAKE THE TEST
What are the symptoms of breast cancer?
The first symptom of breast cancer that most women notice is a lump or an area of thickened tissue in their breast.
Most breast lumps are not cancerous, but it’s always best to have them checked by a doctor.
You should see a GP if you notice any of the following:
- 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
Breast pain is not usually a symptom of breast cancer.
Source: The NHS
Third of women missed checks last year
It comes as cancer charity Breast Cancer Now warned that a third of women in the UK did not attend breast cancer screening last year, and hundreds of tumours are being missed.
Figures show only 65 per cent of invitations for over-50s in England were accepted in 2022-23, with 1.93million women attending out of 2.98m invited.
This was higher than the record low of 62 per cent in 2020 but still lower than every year before the Covid pandemic.
Only half of those invited for the first time attended their appointment
Meanwhile, thousands of women with breast cancer will be denied a life-extending drug after it was deemed too pricey for the NHS.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence watchdog said the medicine Enhertu is not cost-effective at the cost demanded by pharmaceutical companies.
Trials suggested the drug can add six months of survival for women dying from breast cancer that has spread.