At 43, actress Olivia Munn discovered stadium breast cancer, while all her medical examinations were normal. At 43, the actress underwent a double preventive mastectomy, like Angelina Jolie a few years earlier. What made it possible to identify his illness was a simple screening test made up of a dozen questions, that his doctor had advised him to carry out online to assess his risks.
An unexpected diagnosis for Olivia Munn
Make mammograms are good, but is it still enough? Olivia Munn, known for her roles in X-Men: Apocalypse,, The Predator or The Newsroomdid not show any sign of breast cancer. However, she had passed a full battery of exams: radiographic test, ultrasound and even genetic test of predisposition to cancer. It is only after having completed, with his gynecologist, a short two -minute online questionnaire that a 37 % risk of developing breast cancer was revealed. Thanks to this alert, more in -depth examinations made it possible to detect a stadium 1 tumor, at a time when cancer was still perfectly treatable.
This test, called Individual risk assessment of breast cancermeasures the probability that a woman develops the disease during her life. It is based on several parameters:
- Family history of breast cancer;
- The age of the first menstruation;
- The age of the birth of the first child and the number of children;
- The number of breast biopsies already made;
- The presence of first degree relatives with breast cancer.
It is the combination of these data that led Olivia Munn’s doctors to deepen their research, revealing an invisible mammography tumor.
The recommended online test for women over 35
The results of this risk calculator prompted the medical team to carry out more in -depth examinations. This is how cancer was detected at an early stage. The test, accessible online (in English), asks the following questions:
1. Do you have medical history of breast cancer or in situ canal carcinoma (DCIS), lobular carcinoma in situ (ICL) or have you received radiotherapy prior to chest for the treatment of Hodgkinian lymphoma?
- Yes
- No
2. Do you have a mutation in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene, or a genetic diagnosis that could be associated with a high risk of breast cancer?
- Yes
- No
- Don’t know
3. What is your age? (This tool calculates the risk of women aged 35 to 85)
4. What is your ethnic breed / origin?
5. Have you ever had a breast biopsy with a benign diagnosis?
- Yes
- No
- Don’t know
If you do not answer or unknown, go to question 9.
6. If so, how many breast biopsies with a benign diagnosis have you had?
- 1
- 2 or more
7. Have you ever had a breast biopsy with atypical hyperplasia?
- Yes
- No
- Don’t know
8. How old were you when you had your first period?
- Between 7 and 11 years old
- Between 12 and 13 years old
- At 14 or over
9. How old were you when you gave birth to your first child?
- You have no children
- 20 years old
- Between 20 and 24
- Between 25 and 29 years old
- 30 years or more
- Don’t know
10. How many parents in the first degree of the woman (mother, sisters, girls) had breast cancer?
- None
- A
- More than one
- Don’t know
You can find this online questionnaire on the bcrisktool.cancer.gov website.
The results are not absolute
Olivia Munn’s doctor said that, given her age, her family history and the fact that she had her first child after 40 years, she presented more than a third party to develop breast cancer. The actress is convinced of this: this test saved her life, as she entrusted to Instagram. The examinations carried out following the test made it possible to detect the disease in time.
According to the National Institute of Health, this tool is based on a statistical model to assess the risk for a woman to develop breast cancer over the next five years and throughout her life. The calculation takes into account the medical, reproductive and family history. Although it is often used by doctors, any woman can access them freely online.
Two main models exist for this type of evaluation: the Gail model and the Tyrer-Cuzick calculator, the latter having been used by Olivia Munn. A high score can lead health professionals to recommend further examinations such as mammography or MRI.
But these tests have no absolute value. A high result may appear in a woman who will never develop the disease, while a low score may concern a person who will ultimately be reached. If in doubt, it is always better to discuss it with your doctor. Women with a particular risk benefit from specific monitoring, and those carrying BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes can, in some cases, opt for a preventive mastectomy, which greatly reduces mortality linked to breast cancer according to the latest studies.