Rita Wilson & The Band! Thriving after Cancer
- Actress and singer Rita Wilson shares on Instagram this week a fabulous photo of her with her band at CMA Fest.
- Wilson is a breast cancer survivor; she was diagnosed with invasive lobular carcinoma breast cancer in 2015. She had a mastectomy, followed by reconstructive surgery.
- Mammograms are the screening method for breast cancer, and women aged 45 to 54 with an average risk of breast cancer (i.e. no family history of the disease) should have mammograms annually.
Wilson, who is a talented multi-hyphenate, was recently was Country Music Awards (CMA) Fest with her band, and she was living for the summer music moments. She shared a great photo of her with her band, writing, “Thank you @cma #cmafest for being so awesome! Loved playing for you in the sunshine and joy and love you all brought. Nashville! I love you!!! And I love my band!!!!”
Read MoreView this post on InstagramWilson is a mom to her two sons, Chet Hanks, 31, and Truman Hanks, 26. She’s also a stepmother to Tom Hanks’ two children from his first marriage, Colin Hanks, 44, and Elizabeth Ann Hanks, 40. Their mother is Samantha Lewes, who was married to Tom Hanks from 1978 to 1987.
Rita Wilson's Breast Cancer Journey
Wilson was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015. She underwent a mastectomy, followed by reconstructive surgery, to treat her cancer. The actress and singer's specific diagnosis was invasive lobular carcinoma.
This type of breast cancer is named for its point of origin: the lobules. Invasive lobular carcinoma begins in the milk-producing glands, called lobules, of the breast. For this kind of cancer that's invasive, cancer cells have "broken out" of the lobule where they began and they may spread to other areas of the body.
Invasive lobular carcinoma only represents a small portion of breast cancers. The most common type of breast cancer starts in the breast ducts.
Treatment options for breast cancer include surgery (via a mastectomy or lumpectomy), chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. Some people also get preventative mastectomies if there's a history of breast cancer in the family and thus an elevated risk of developing the disease.
When Should You Consider a Mastectomy?
How to Screen for Breast Cancer
Breast cancer is typically detected via a mammogram, the screening method for this type of cancer. Mammograms look for lumps in the breast tissue and early signs of breast cancer.
Women aged 45 to 54 with an average risk of breast cancer (i.e. no family history of the disease) should have mammograms annually. Dr. Connie Lehman, the chief of the Breast Imaging Division at Massachusetts General Hospital, says in an earlier interview, "If you haven't gone through menopause yet, I think it's very important that you have a mammogram every year."
"We know that cancers grow more rapidly in our younger patients, and having that annual mammogram can be lifesaving," says Dr. Lehman. "After menopause, it may be perfectly acceptable to reduce that frequency to every two years. But what I'm most concerned about is the women who haven't been in for a mammogram for two, three, or four years, those women that have never had a mammogram. We all agree regular screening mammography saves lives."
When Should I Get a Mammogram?
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