Katie Thurston's Breast Cancer Diagnosis
- “Bachelorette” alum Katie Thurston is battling breast cancer just 14 years after undergoing a lumpectomy after finding a lump in her breast. The TV personality took to social media to announce her diagnosis and share the reality of how emotional a diagnosis can be.
- It’s unclear what type or stage of breast cancer the 34-year-old has been diagnosed with, but she insists she “ready to fight” the disease. It’s important to understand that determining the exact type of breast cancer a patient has can help doctors find what’s fueling the disease — and can help them narrow down the best way to treat it.
- The medical community has a broad consensus that women have annual mammograms between the ages of 45 and 54. However, an independent panel of experts called the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) is saying that women should start getting mammograms every other year at the age of 40, suggesting that this lowered the age for breast cancer screening could save 19% more lives.
- If you are facing a breast cancer diagnosis, your emotions are likely to run high, which is completely normal. Psychiatrist Dr. Lori Plutchik says emotions are often fluid when coping with a diagnosis.
- “The patient or person going through the stressful event should accept that emotions will be fluid. You may feel fine one day and then feel a massive wave of stress the next. It’s also important for those you look to for support, whether that’s a therapist, friends, family, or both, to understand the fluidity of stress-related emotions,” Dr. Plutchik said.
The 34-year-old TV personality, known for being a contestant on season 25 of “The Bachelor” and starring in season 17 of “The Bachelorette,” shared her health news on social media, writing on Instagram, “Yesterday I saw all the couples post their Valentines Day celebrations. I felt envious if I’m being honest. Jeff took me to Hawaii and after, we were going to travel the world before planting roots together in NYC finally. But instead, my Vday was spent coordinating a place to live as I have to go back to LA for more testing and treatment.
Read MoreThurston continued, “I experienced a range of emotions over the past two weeks. Despair. Anger. Sadness. Denial. And then strength. Purposeful.View this post on Instagram
“Ready. I cried a lot. I tried to even make a video instead of this post and couldn’t.”
She continued—alluding that she was diagnosed with the most common type of breast cancer, known as invasive ductal carcinoma—”But one thing I did early on was search other stories like mine. Other young women with breast cancer. Invasive ductal carcinoma. Mastectomy.
“Pregnancy after breast cancer. All of their stories helped. So I intend to be the same for others. This is day one of sharing and is going to be a long one. This first step of acceptance of my reality was the hardest. But I am ready to fight this.”
Invasive ductal carcinoma, which is also called infiltrating ductal carcinoma (IDC), is the most common form of breast cancer, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine, making up 80% of all breast cancer diagnoses.
“Invasive ductal carcinoma is cancer (carcinoma) that happens when abnormal cells growing in the lining of the milk ducts change and invade breast tissue beyond the walls of the duct,” Johns Hopkins Medicine explains. “Once that happens, the cancer cells can spread. They can break into the lymph nodes or bloodstream, where they can travel to other organs and areas in the body, resulting in metastatic breast cancer.”
Thurston concluded her post by thanking her “extraordinary husband” comedian Jeff Arcuri for his support throughout this overwhelming time.
“I don’t know how I’d do this without you. The selfless love that you smother me in is beyond anything I imagined I’d be blessed with,” she wrote.
“I love you to the fullest in this lifetime and the next.”
Helping Patients Cope with a Breast Cancer Diagnosis
- Access to Good Information is Crucial After a Breast Cancer Diagnosis
- Understanding a New Breast Cancer Diagnosis: An Introduction
- Acupuncture Promising for Pain Relief from Some Breast Cancer Treatment
- Updated Guidelines on Biomarkers for Early-Stage Breast Cancer
- Metastatic Breast Cancer Sees Advancements in ‘New Era’ of HER2 Classification; Understanding HER2 Breast Cancer
- Getting to Know Your Breasts with Self-Exams
- 6 Common Excuses for Skipping a Mammogram That You Need to Stop Using!
View this post on Instagram
Katie Thurston’s Earlier Breast Cancer Scare
Back in 2021, Thurston also opened up about her decision to go through a lumpectomy at just 20-years-old after finding a lump in her breast during a self-exam. She used her experience to share a powerful message about loving your scars and why being your own advocate is important for your health.
In an Instagram story, Thurston told fans about the breast cancer scare which arose while giving herself a self breast exam. In order to take control of the situation, she chose to undergo a lumpectomy, a surgery to remove a cancer or abnormal tissue from the breast by only removing the tumor as opposed to the whole breast. The procedure left her with a scar on her chest which she also showed fans to get her message across.
WATCH: Choosing between a lumpectomy or mastectomy.
“I often get questions about my scar,” Thurston said. “It’s from a lumpectomy after finding a lump in my breast. Because I was only 20, I discovered this on my own.”
Aside from discussing her procedure, Thurston also touched on the importance of being your own advocate and speaking up if you feel that something is wrong.
“Typically women don’t get routine mammograms until their 40s, so it’s important to be your biggest advocate when it comes to your own personal health,” Thurston said.
View this post on Instagram
Understanding The Different Types of Breast Cancer
Although it’s unclear the exact type and stage of breast cancer Thurston is battling, it’s important to understand that certain tumors are driven by hormones, or feature proteins that can help determine the best route of treatment.
- A hormone-receptor positive breast cancer is one that needs either estrogen and/or progesterone to grow.
- A HER2-postive breast cancer is one where high levels of the HER2 protein can be found on the outside of the cancer cells.
- A triple negative breast cancer is difficult to treat because it does not have any of the main drivers of breast cancer – the estrogen receptor, the progesterone receptor, and the HER2 receptor. This means hormone therapy won’t work. Chemotherapy is the standard treatment for this cancer.
Hormone Therapy for Breast Cancer
When to Screen for Breast Cancer
The medical community has a broad consensus that women have annual mammograms between the ages of 45 and 54. However, an independent panel of experts called the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) is saying that women should start getting mammograms every other year at the age of 40, suggesting that this lowered the age for breast cancer screening could save 19% more lives.
WATCH: SurvivorNet expert, oncologist Dr. Ann Partridge discusses the challenges of diagnosing and treating treating aggressive breast cancers in young women.
For women aged 55 and older, the American Cancer Society recommends getting a mammogram every other year. However, women in this age group who want added reassurance can still get annual mammograms.
Women with a strong family history of breast cancer, have dense breasts, have a genetic mutation known to increase the risk of breast cancer, such as a BRCA gene mutation, or a medical history, including chest radiation therapy before age 30, are considered at higher risk for breast cancer.
WATCH: Understanding the BRCA gene mutation.
Experiencing menstruation at an early age (before 12) or having dense breasts can also put you into a high-risk category. If you are at a higher risk for developing breast cancer, you should begin screening earlier.
RELATED: Is Genetic Testing Right for You?
Breast density is determined through mammograms. However, women with dense breasts are at a higher risk for developing breast cancer because dense breast tissue can mask potential cancer during screening. 3D mammograms, breast ultrasound, breast MRI, and molecular breast imaging are options for women with dense breasts for a more precise screening. It is important to ask your doctor about your breast density and cancer risk.
Learning About Breast Cancer Treatment
Your doctor has many ways to treat breast cancer, including:
- Surgery
- Chemotherapy
- Radiation
- Hormone therapy
- Targeted therapy
- Immunotherapy
WATCH: Choosing between a lumpectomy or mastectomy.
Surgery
Most women with breast cancer will have surgery at some point in their treatment. Depending on how far your cancer has spread and your personal preferences, you and your doctor may decide to:
- Remove just the cancer and an area of healthy tissue around it (lumpectomy)
- Remove one breast (mastectomy)
- Remove both breasts (double mastectomy)
Removing your breasts can have a dramatic effect on your self-esteem, which is why some women who opt for a mastectomy then choose breast reconstruction surgery. This is a highly personal choice, and there is no “right” answer as to whether or not to reconstruct.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy uses strong drugs to kill cancer all over the body. You may get this treatment to shrink a tumor before surgery, afterward to get rid of any remaining cancer cells, or on its own if you can’t have surgery.
Whether or not to have chemotherapy can also be a choice, depending on a woman’s age, type of cancer, and stage.
Radiation Therapy
Radiation therapy is the use of high-energy rays to destroy cancer cells and is typically used after surgery to lower the chance that the cancer will come back after treatment. Many women undergo radiation as part of their treatment, especially if they opt for a lumpectomy instead of a mastectomy.
Hormone Therapy
The hormones estrogen and progesterone help some breast cancers grow. Doctors refer to these types of cancers as hormone-receptor-positive breast cancers. Receptors are proteins on the surface of breast cells that receive messages from estrogen, progesterone, or both, telling them to grow. Treatments that block these hormones may help stop the tumor.
Testing the tumor sample from a biopsy helps to determine whether hormone therapies such as tamoxifen (Nolvadex) or anastrozole (Arimidex) might work against the cancer. Women with breast cancer that is fueled by estrogen may take one of these drugs as part of their treatment.
Immunotherapy and Targeted Therapy
Immunotherapy and targeted therapies are newer forms of treatment. Immunotherapy boosts your body’s own immune response to help it stop the cancer.
As their name suggests, targeted therapies target certain substances that help the cancer grow. For example, drugs like trastuzumab (Herceptin) and pertuzumab (Perjeta) treat breast cancers that have too much of a protein called HER2 on their surface.
Coping With a Breast Cancer Diagnosis
If you are facing a breast cancer diagnosis, your emotions are likely to run high, which is completely normal. Psychiatrist Dr. Lori Plutchik says emotions are often fluid when coping with a diagnosis.
“The patient or person going through the stressful event should accept that emotions will be fluid. You may feel fine one day and then feel a massive wave of stress the next. It’s also important for those you look to for support, whether that’s a therapist, friends, family, or both, to understand the fluidity of stress-related emotions,” Dr. Plutchik said.
RELATED: Mental Health and Cancer — The Fight, Flight or Freeze Response
If a stressful event affects how you think and feel, it may be time to seek mental health treatment. This could mean traditional talk therapy, medication, changing lifestyle habits (like exercise and diet), seeking a support group, or many other approaches.
Women needing a little extra help coping with a breast cancer diagnosis should consider the following.
- Let your family and close friends know and let them help. So many cancer survivors tell us they want and need support but are often too preoccupied to make specific requests. Urge those close to you to jump in with whatever practical help they can offer.
- Keep a journal. It can be highly cathartic to let those feelings loose on paper. Grab a pen and a lovely journal and chronicle your thoughts throughout the day.
- Join a cancer support group. Groups are available in nearly every community and offer opportunities to connect with others going through a similar journey. You’ll learn constructive insight from others who can tell you what to expect and how to stay strong on tough days.
- Consider seeing a therapist. Ask your doctor to refer you to a therapist so you can discuss your fears and concerns in a safe space. Often, vocalizing your thoughts and feelings rather than internalizing them can provide relief.
Mental Health & Coping with Emotions
Questions to Ask Your Doctor
If you have been diagnosed with breast cancer, you may have questions about how to keep your strength through treatment. Here are a few questions to help you begin the conversation:
- What treatment will I be receiving?
- What side effects are associated with this treatment?
- Are there steps I can take daily to help minimize these side effects?
- What physical activity routine do you recommend for me during treatment?
- Do you have recommendations for someone who doesn’t particularly enjoy exercise?
Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
