Olivia Munn's Breast Cancer Journey
- Olivia Munn, 44, has offered fans a detailed timeline of her breast cancer journey, as she’s had an eventful year-and-a-half since she received her diagnosis.
- The TV and film star’s type of breast cancer, called hormone receptor-positive (HR+), means that the hormones estrogen or progesterone stimulate cancer cell growth, which is why HR+ cancer is typically treated with hormone therapy drugs that lower estrogen levels or block estrogen. Munn’s sub-type, luminal B, meant that her cancer was specifically estrogen-fueled.
- She’s had both her breasts removed, a hysterectomy, removing her uterus, as well as surgeries to remove her fallopian tubes and ovaries. After preserving her fertility and undergoing an egg retrieval, she has since started taking the following medications: Lupron and Arimidex.
- Lupron (generic name leuprorelin) is a type of ovarian suppression drug that stops the ovaries from making the hormone estrogen.
- According to BreastCancer.org, Arimidex (chemical name: anastrozole), which Munn is also taking, is “an aromatase inhibitor used to treat all stages of hormone receptor-positive breast cancer in post-menopausal women.”
Munn, known for her roles on the TV show “The Newsroom” and movies like “Magic Mike and “X-Men,” has certainly been through a lot as she underwent a hysterectomy, which removed her uterus, as well as had surgeries to remove her fallopian tubes and ovaries (oophorectomy). She’s also now taking Lupron (generic name leuprorelin), a type of ovarian suppression drug that stops the ovaries from making the hormone estrogen, which can help prevent cancer recurrence in women diagnosed with hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer, and a hormone based chemotherapy drug/aromatase inhibitor called arimidex.
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To better outline her breast cancer journey, Munn shared an Instagram reel, featuring a timeline she created. She captioned the post, “My breast cancer timeline. I’ve gotten a lot of questions about this and I’ve wanted to make this video for those asking for a while but I’ve been filming, finishing filming, running after a toddler and starting a new medication. Thank you for your patience and understanding.
“If you have any questions about my treatment or surgeries I’ve listed please put them in the comments.”
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In the footage she share, Munn is also seen saying she hopes others would, “Maybe feel a little comforted and knowing that I’ve gone down the same path and I’m doing okay.”
She wrote in her timeline:
- January 2022 — 2 Mammograms, 2 Ultrasounds: Clear
- January 2023 — Mammogram: Clear
- February 2023 — Genetic Testing: 0% Chance of Genetic Cancer
- March 2023 — Tyrer-Cuzik Breast Cancer Assessment Score: 37.3%
- March/April 2023 — MRI+ Ultrasound + Biopsies
- April 2023 — Bilateral Breast Cancer Diagnosis
- May 2023 — Nipple delay, Lymph Node Dissection and Double Mastectomy
- June 2023 — Egg Retrieval
- September 2023 — Breast Reconstruction
- November 2023 — Begin Lupron
- April 2024 — Partial Hysterectomy/ Oophorectomy
- August 2024 — Begin Arimidex
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Olivia’s Breast Cancer Diagnosis & Journey
Munn’s breast cancer diagnosis emerged despite receiving a “normal” mammogram and testing negative for the BRCA-gene mutation, which increases your risk for breast and ovarian cancer.
At the suggestion of her OBGYN, the “X-Men” actress underwent a Breast Cancer Risk Assessment, which helps determine a woman’s probability of getting breast cancer. Her results called for additional screening, which revealed she had an aggressive form of cancer in both of her breasts.
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“I wouldn’t have found my cancer for another year – at my next scheduled mammogram – except that my OBGYN…decided to calculate my Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Score. The fact that she did save my life,” Munn said in an Instagram post.
The Breast Cancer Risk Assessment she credits for catching her breast cancer is a “statistical model that allows healthcare professionals to calculate the probability of a woman developing breast cancer over the course of their lifetime,” Dr. Ruth Oratz, breast medical oncologist, NYU Langone Health’s Perlmutter Cancer Center; clinical professor of medicine, NYU Grossman School of Medicine tells SurvivorNet.
Munn underwent genetic testing to better understand her cancer risk. Genetic tests can be as simple as a simple saliva swab or blood sample. The results help your care team determine if you have a specific mutation that puts you at higher risk for cancer. The results help doctors tailor your treatment and are helpful for breast cancer patients.
“I tested negative for all (different cancer genes), including BRCA,” Munn said.
The BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations are among the most important genes to look for in breast cancer. Together, they are responsible for about half of all hereditary breast cancers. These genes prevent cells from dividing haphazardly and uncontrollably in a person without mutations. Mutations prevent these genes from doing their job and can allow unchecked growth of breast, ovarian, and other tissues.
Two months after undergoing genetic testing, Munn was diagnosed with Luminal B breast cancer in both of her breasts.
According to research in “Breast Cancer,” luminal B tumors are of a “higher grade” and tend to have a worse prognosis. This type of breast cancer is estrogen-positive (ER), meaning it is fueled by the hormone estrogen. It can also be progestogen (PR) negative, meaning it is not fueled by progestogen. This type of breast also tends to have a higher expression of the Ki67 protein, making it grow quickly. Hormonal therapy and chemotherapy are often used to treat this type of cancer. Luminal is one of several types and is distinguished by its molecular makeup.
Understand Olivia Munn’s Treatment
Munn underwent a double mastectomy [removal of. both breasts] to treat her cancer.
When a woman decides to have a mastectomy, several factors go into that decision. Among things to consider is whether to have breast-conserving surgery such as a lumpectomy. These decisions should be made alongside your doctor by openly and candidly discussing risks vs. benefits.
“A double mastectomy typically takes about two hours for the cancer part of the operation, the removing of the tissue,” Dr. Elisa Port, Chief of Breast Surgery at Mount Sinai Health System, tells SurvivorNet. “The real length, the total length of the surgery, can often depend on what type of reconstruction [a patient] has.”
WATCH: What Happens During a Double Mastectomy
Other factors that weigh into the decision to get a mastectomy are the size and features of the tumor and your family history. However, the gravity of your decision comes into full view, especially if you choose to get a mastectomy and remove both of your breasts.
Some women decide to have their breasts reconstructed and have implants put in right after the mastectomy, while others don’t have reconstruction at all.
Dr. Port added that most women opt to have some reconstruction. The length of these surgeries can vary greatly. When implants are used, the procedure can take two to three hours (so the total surgery time would be around five hours). There is also the option to take one’s own tissue (usually from the belly area) and transfer it into the breast area during reconstruction.
Before her undergoing her hysterectomy, oophorectomy and breast rescontruction, Munn went through another egg retrieval process [she had already gone through several prior to her diagnosis], and produced two healthy embryos.
Speaking to Vogue in May, she also confirmed that her and her husband have “two healthy embryos.”
The Medications Munn Is Taking: What Is Lupron Therapy & Arimidex?
Lupron (generic name leuprorelin) is a type of ovarian suppression drug that stops the ovaries from making the hormone estrogen.
When a cancer tests positive for being hormone-receptive, it means that the cancer needs the hormones estrogen and/or progesterone to grow. So, doctors may want to lower a patient’s estrogen levels to help slow the growth of some cancers or help prevent it from coming back.
That’s where a hormone therapy like Lupron comes in.
Hormone Therapy for Breast Cancer
Lupron is in a class of drugs called luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH) agonists, also known as LHRH analogs, according to the American Cancer Society. Lupron is a common type of LHRH drug that can be used alone or with other hormone drugs (such as tamoxifen, which many breast cancer survivors may recognize) as hormone therapy in pre-menopausal women.
According to Susan G. Komen, the ovaries will usually begin making estrogen again once drug therapy is stopped.
According to BreastCancer.org, Arimidex (chemical name: anastrozole), which Munn is also taking, is “an aromatase inhibitor used to treat all stages of hormone receptor-positive breast cancer in post-menopausal women.”
As for how this drug works, the organization explains, “Arimidex works by blocking the enzyme aromatase, which turns the hormone androgen into small amounts of estrogen in the body. This means less estrogen is available to stimulate the growth or hormone receptor-positive breast cancer cells.
“Arimidex will not work on hormone receptor-negative breast cancer.”
This drug is taken to help minimize the risk of hormone receptor-positive, early-stage breast cancer recurring in post-menopausal women after surgery, as an initial treatment for hormone receptor-positive, advanced-stage breast cancer in women who are post-menopausal, and to treat advanced-stage breast cancer that has grown after tamoxifen treatment in post-menopausal women, the organization says.
Expert Resources on Breast Cancer Treatment Options
Coping With Your New Body After Cancer Treatment
“Changes to your body may be temporary or permanent. They include changes that others can see, such as hair loss or weight gain,” MacMillan Cancer Support says, noting physical changes are possible after cancer treatment.
“Changes that are not obviously visible to others, such as infertility, can also affect your body image and make you feel vulnerable about your body,” MacMillian Cancer Support added.
One way to prepare yourself for possible body changes during cancer treatment is to understand that changes are possible but also temporary. This can also help build up your self-confidence. Your support group, filled with loved ones, can help you during this stage of your journey.
Psychologist Dr. Marianna Strongin shares with SurvivorNet some additional tips cancer warriors can explore to help manage the emotional toll body changes can have during treatment.
Dr. Strongin encourages cancer warriors to take ownership of the part (or parts) of their body impacted mainly by cancer treatment. She says although they may represent “fear and pain,” they also represent “strength and courage.”
“Research has found that when looking in the mirror, we are more likely to focus on the parts of our body we are dissatisfied with, which causes us to have a negative self-view and lower self-esteem. Therefore, I would like you first to spend time gazing at the parts of your body you love, give them time, honor them, and then thank them,” Dr. Strongin said.
WATCH: How chemotherapy affects fertility.
Dr. Strongin then suggests looking at the part or parts of your body impacted by the cancer or cancer treatment. She recommends creating a regular practice of accepting your body image because it helps you accept your cancer journey emotionally and physically.
“As you allow yourself to spend more time looking at all of you, you will begin having a new relationship with your body. It may not happen immediately, but with time, you can begin honoring and thanking your new body,” Dr. Strongin added.
Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff
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