Discovering Your Cancer Risk
- Now that singer-songwriter Beyoncé’s mom Tina Knowles, 71, has opened up about her secret battle with stage one breast cancer, we can’t help but acknowledge how her family history of the disease puts her at a higher risk of breast cancer.
- Her mom was diagnosed with stage one breast cancer last year and beat the disease after undergoing surgery. Her dad was diagnosed with stage 1A breast cancer in 2019 and also beat the disease.
- Beyoncé may want to take a Breast Cancer Risk Assessment, which actress Olivia Munn credits for catching her breast cancer. It’s 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.
- The “Single Ladies” singer has already undergone genetic testing, as per her dad, and she doesn’t have any genes that raise her risk for breast cancer.
- The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends women at average breast cancer risk begin screening for breast cancer at age 40. Women with the BRCA gene mutation [a gene Beyonce’s dad has but she doesn’t], who have a family history of cancer or have dense breasts, are at higher risk and should talk with their doctor about when to screen may be younger than 40.
Her mom Tina, who published her new book “Matriarch: A Memoir” this week, recounted in a recent interview that she was diagnosed with a cancerous tumor in her left breast in July 2024, prompting her to undergo surgery to remove the cancer and a breast reduction.
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Tina, who feels better than ever after surgery, continued, “We can catch cancer at stage 1 or even stage 0, I didn’t know there was a stage 0, I could have caught this at stage 0 if I had not missed my mammogram but I did because of COVID.
“I think as women, sometimes we get so busy and we get so wrapped up and running around, but you must go get your test.”
She added, “Because if I had not gotten my test early, I mean, I shudder to think what could have happened to me.”
It’s important to note that breast cancer risk comes from a variety of potential places. Some of these are risk factors you simply can’t change. Others you can impact by modifying your behaviors and that’s good news for people who want to take an active role in their personal risk reduction. So in Beyonce’s case, she luckily doesn’t have any gene mutations that increase her risk of getting the does, but because both of her parents have experienced a breast cancer battle, she is at a higher risk.
Sometimes the Hardest Thing About a Breast Cancer Diagnosis Is Telling Family
“Common causes include genetic predispositions, such as BRCA mutations or other mutations that cause breast cancer,” Dr. Sarah Cate, assistant professor of surgery Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, tells SurvivorNet.
“Other causes are family history, obesity, radiation to the chest like is used in Hodgkin’s lymphoma, alcohol use, never having children, and certain types of abnormal breast biopsies.”
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Matthew Knowles’ Breast Cancer Journey
Music World Entertainment’s chief executive officer Matthew Knowles, the 73-year-old dad of Beyonce and Solange Knowles, has also become an advocate for breast cancer, a disease he was diagnosed with back in 2019 and beat.
After battling stage 1A breast cancer, Knowles – also a famed author, professor, and public speaker – has continued to urge others to know the signs and risks of male breast cancer in an effort to lead others to early detection.
Knowles, who spoke at the 2023 Breast Cancer Gala as the keynote speaker in Grand Cayman, told Cayman Compass, “I want to share my ideas on how I think we should approach male breast cancer in a different way.”
He explained, “A lot of men in the last three, four years have come and said, ‘Oh I have that too, but I was too embarrassed to talk about it,’ or ‘I wanted to go but I was just embarrassed,’ so if we can get across that line, I think we will even have more men that go for early detection and know the warning signs of breast cancer.
“And the same for women; it’s all about early detection.”
Knowles insists he’s been an advocate for early detection of breast cancer for about four decades, telling the news outlet, “I hear so many men embarrassed, feel as though there is a stigma attached to breast cancer versus male breast cancer or male chest cancer.”
Referring to how he often spreads positive messages on his social media accounts, he said, “I send positive messages almost every day. I’m just that person that I always reach for the sky and the stars and have faith. And you say thriver, I like that. But I say survivor [referring to himself] only because I co-wrote a song called “I’m a Survivor.”
“The words of that song are, “I’m a survivor, I’m not gonna give up. I’m gonna make it.”
Knowles, a well-informed role model in the health and cancer communities, previously spoke with SurvivorNet to encourage people to be proactive about their health, and to let men know they can get breast cancer, too.
The “male chest cancer survivor,” as he prefers to be called, carries the BRCA2 (BReast CAncer 2) gene mutation. This means that his children have a 50% chance of also carrying the gene that predisposes you to certain types of cancers. (In a prior interview, Knowles says that Beyonce and Solange have tested negative for the gene mutation.)
In Knowles’ interview with SurvivorNet, he said he takes charge of his health just like he would a business. Since his diagnosis, he says he stopped drinking and made some major lifestyle changes, including eating a clean diet.
Knowles said he first suspected something to be off with his body when he noticed little drops of blood on his white shirts and on his bedding in July of 2019.
Thanks to his prior experience selling breast cancer imaging equipment, he said, “I knew from years ago what that meant, and I immediately went to my physician who immediately referred me to get a mammogram that led to an ultrasound that led to a biopsy that led to surgery.
“Somewhere in all of this, there was a delay in getting back my pathology report. Had I got my pathology report back sooner, I would have had a double mastectomy, but I didn’t. In all my years working (in medical sales) I had never heard the words BRCA2 or that I was mutated genetically. I knew nothing about BRCA2 or genetic mutation.”
He added, “Had I not checked, what would that have looked like? It would have been progressive. It could have spread into my lymph nodes. I am now the face of this for men. I’ve been given this opportunity to save lives and I take it very seriously.”
What Should Beyoncé’s Next Steps Be?
Beyoncé may want to take a Breast Cancer Risk Assessment, which actress Olivia Munn credits for catching her breast cancer. It’s 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.
The “Single Ladies” singer has already undergone genetic testing, as per her dad, and she doesn’t have any genes that raise her risk for breast cancer. However, it’s important to understand that genetic testing, which can be as simple as a simple saliva swab or blood sample, can help one understand what their cancer risk is. 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.
The BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations, one of which Beyoncé’s dad has, 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.
What Are the Options if You Have a High Risk of Developing Breast Cancer?
What to Know About Screening For Breast Cancer
The medical community has a consensus that women between 45 and 54 have annual mammograms. 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: Screening for Breast Cancer
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 who have 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.
Expert Resources On Early Detection & Cancer Screenings
- 6 Common Excuses for Skipping a Mammogram That You Need to Stop Using!
- How to Avoid False Positive Cancer Results in Women With Dense Breasts: Ultrasounds Used in Addition To Mammograms
- Breast Cancer: Introduction to Prevention & Screening
- The Mammogram Debate: Should Women Start Breast Cancer Screening at 30?
- Breast Cancer Risk For Post Menopausal Women — Taking Hormones Can Increase Your Risk
- Mammograms Are Still the Best Tool for Detecting Breast Cancer — A Warning About Thermography
- A New Recommendation Adds To The List Of Drugs That Can Lower Breast Cancer Risk For Women With High Risk Of Developing The Disease
- Men With BRCA Gene Have More Than DOUBLE The Risk Of Developing Prostate Cancer, New Research Suggests
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.
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.
Although breast cancer can happen to anyone, certain factors can increase a person’s risk of getting the disease. The known risk factors for breast cancer include:
- Older age
- Having a gene mutation such as the BRCA1 or BRCA2
- Added exposure to estrogen
- Having children after the age of 30
- Exposure to radiation early in life
- Family history of the disease
About ten percent of breast cancers are hereditary, says Dr. Ophira Ginsburg, Director of the High-Risk Cancer Program at NYU Langone’s Perlmutter Cancer Center.
“We encourage only those who have a family history to really get [genetic testing],” Dr. Ginsburg previously told SurvivorNet.
“I would say that if you have anyone in your family who was diagnosed with a very rare cancer. Or if you have a strong family history of one or two kinds of cancer, particularly breast and ovarian, but also colon, rectal, uterine, and ovarian cancer, that goes together in another cancer syndrome called the Lynch Syndrome,” Dr. Ginsburg adds.
Risk Factors for Breast Cancer
Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff
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