“I think advocating for yourself — it gives you a lot of confidence,” she told “Today.”

Her message comes as new cancer diagnoses in the United States are projected to reach 2.1 million in 2026, even as decades of progress in screening, treatment innovation, and declining tobacco use have driven a 35% drop in cancer mortality since 1991, according to the American Association for Cancer Research’s annual Cancer Progress Report.

Experts say this shift — the kind of long‑term survivorship Crow is experiencing — is creating a rapidly expanding population that will require sustained, coordinated care.

“By 2035, more than 23 million people in the United States are expected to be living with a history of cancer, underscoring the need to make survivorship a central component of comprehensive cancer care,” says Dr. Susan Hong, Director of the Cancer Survivorship Program at VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center.

She notes that survivors will increasingly need longitudinal support for late effects, comorbidities, psychosocial and reproductive health concerns, and financial toxicity.

Crow hopes more patients will reach decades‑long survivorship as she has, and she continues to emphasize the importance of routine exams.

“It only takes literally 30 minutes to go in, and it could be something that changes the trajectory of your life. Take care of yourself, put yourself first, and go and do the yearly exam,” she says.

Her advocacy echoes that of Angelina Jolie, who in 2013 publicly revealed she carried the BRCA1 gene mutation and underwent preventive surgery to reduce her cancer risk. In her “New York Times” op‑ed, Jolie explained that the mutation increased her breast cancer risk to 87% and her ovarian cancer risk to 50%.

The BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes normally help regulate cell growth, but when mutated, they can fail to control tissue expansion, raising the risk of breast, ovarian, and other cancers.

Jolie wrote, “Once I knew that this was my reality, I decided to be proactive and to minimize the risk as much as I could.” She chose a preventive double mastectomy, starting with breast surgery because her risk was highest and the procedure less complex.

Her disclosure sparked what researchers later called the “Angelina Jolie effect.”

A Harvard Medical School analysis of insurance records found a 64% increase in genetic testing for breast cancer in the two weeks following her op‑ed — roughly 9 million women sought BRCA testing — with no similar spike the year prior.

Today, Crow’s message aligns with that broader movement: empowering women with knowledge, encouraging proactive screening, and reminding survivors and those at risk that early action can be life‑changing.

Understanding Genetic Testing

Genetic testing for cancer is usually done in a doctor’s office (either your primary care doctor or an OB-GYN), but a few tests are available for people to purchase commercially.

“It started out with a very narrow field of women and men who were recommended to have it based on certain risk factors, family history of breast cancer, or other cancers, and also ethnic backgrounds,” Dr. Elisa Port, a surgical oncologist at Mount Sinai, told SurvivorNet.

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) recommends testing only select patients with risk factors for hereditary breast cancer. These include, but are not limited to, patients who were younger than 45 years old when they were diagnosed with breast cancer, those with a strong family history of this cancer, and those with Ashkenazi Jewish heritage. The American Society of Breast Surgeons (ASBrS) recommends offering genetic testing for all patients diagnosed with breast cancer.

What If You Have the BRCA Gene Mutation?

If you discover that you do have a mutation, there are options available to manage your cancer risk, which include enhanced screenings; prophylactic (risk-reducing) surgery, which involves removing as much of the “at-risk” tissue as possible; and chemoprevention, the use of medicines to reduce the risk of cancer.

WATCH: Understanding the BRCA Gene Mutation

If you do discover you have ovarian cancer, it actually can be advantageous to have a BRCA mutation, as long as you are being treated with a PARP inhibitor, a drug therapy that was developed and approved by the FDA beginning in 2014. PARP inhibitors work by blocking the protein PARP from repairing the damaged DNA that can lead to cancer. These inhibitors kill the dangerous cells but leave the healthy ones intact, which is exactly what you want to happen.

“The PARP inhibitor prevents the repair of the (damaged) single-strand DNA break, and your BRCA mutation prevents the repair of the double-strand DNA break,” Dr. Rebecca Arend, Associate Scientist at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, explains to SurvivorNet.

The Missed Mammogram That Changed Everything

Before her breast cancer diagnosis, Sheryl Crow described herself as healthy, athletic, and immersed in a fast-paced career. She also felt that mammograms were unnecessary. “I’m fine, I’m healthy, why don’t I just skip it?” Crow shared at a Stand Up to Cancer event with WKRN News.

However, skipping that routine screening led to a wake-up call. When Crow did get her mammogram to screen for breast cancer, she was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer in her left breast.

WATCH: When Should I Get a Mammogram

For treatment, she underwent a lumpectomy, a procedure that removes the cancerous area of the breast. Then she received seven weeks of radiation therapy. Today, she’s in remission—and a passionate advocate for early detection.

Looking back, Crow acknowledges how easily she dismissed the possibility of cancer. “It never occurred to me that the mammogram would find anything because I have no family history and I had no signs of it, no lumps or anything like that… and I was extremely, and still am, very healthy, very athletic, and fit. I just didn’t think I would be a candidate at all,” she told People Magazine.

That experience reshaped her perspective—and her purpose. She now uses her platform to encourage others not to delay screenings, especially mammograms. “I feel compelled to go out and give that message,” she said.

Helping Patients Get Answers

Cancer treatment breakthroughs are arriving fast, and for many patients and caregivers, keeping up can feel overwhelming. SurvivorNet’s AI-powered tool, My Health Questions, is built to cut through that complexity by helping people understand what new therapies mean for them and how to talk about their concerns with their care teams.

WATCH: SurvivorNet’s Proprietary AI‑Powered Tool Helps Man Battling Prostate Cancer Navigate Worrying Symptoms & Next Steps In Treatment

Embedded throughout the SurvivorNet website, My Health Questions delivers structured, clinically grounded answers based on medical guidelines and expert-reviewed research. Users can type or speak their questions and receive responses tailored to their individual profiles, with suggested prompts available for anyone unsure where to start.

Designed to support both major treatment decisions and everyday concerns, the tool is backed by leading oncology specialists. Its purpose is to complement conversations with clinicians — helping patients arrive at appointments more informed, more prepared, and more confident.

As SurvivorNet expands its patient-focused resources, My Health Questions represents a major step forward in how technology can support people navigating cancer.

Questions to Ask Your Doctor

If you’re facing the option of having a mastectomy, here are some questions to consider asking your doctor:

• What can I do to prepare for a double mastectomy?
• What happens before and after the procedure?
• For reconstruction, what are the benefits of using implants over my own tissue and vice versa?
• What should I know about implants? Should I opt for preventative surgery?
• What will recovery look like after the procedure?
• What are the benefits of a watch-and-wait approach vs. preventative surgery?
• What kind of surveillance is required after the surgery?

Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.

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