Olivia Munn's BRCA gene test that saved her life amid breast cancer diagnosis

13 March 2024 , 18:31

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Actress Olivia Munn has been diagnosed with breast cancer, with the BRCA gene test saving her life

Olivia Munn has been diagnosed with breast cancer, and it appears that the BRCA gene test she had done as a preventative measure actually saved her life.

The 43-year-old Oklahoma-born actress announced the news on social media on Wednesday (March 13). Penning a statement, the Newsroom star revealed: "I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I hope by sharing this it will help others find comfort, inspiration and support on their own journey."

Olivia explained she'd been battling in secret after months of surgeries and "days in bed". Explaining how she found out about her cancer, she candidly said: "In February of 2023, in an effort to be more proactive about my health, I took a genetic test that checks you for 90 cancer genes. I tested negative for all, including BRCA (the most well-known breast cancer gene). My sister Sara had just tested negative as well."

READ MORE:Olivia Munn diagnosed with breast cancer at 43 as she reveals test that saved her life

Olivia spoke out about her cancer diagnosis in a candid Instagram post (oliviamunn/Instagram)

She revealed how the BRCA gene test saved her life (Getty Images)

"We called each other and high-fived over the phone. The same winter I also had a negative mammogram. Two months later I was diagnosed with breast cancer."

Olivia Munn diagnosed with cancer at 43 and shares test that saved her life

According to the NHS, cancer is not usually inherited, but some types, mainly breast, ovarian, colorectal and prostate cancer, "can be strongly influenced by genes and can run in families".

The NHS website states that the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes "are examples of genes that raise your cancer risk if they become altered". It continues: "Having a variant BRCA gene greatly increases a woman's chance of developing breast cancer and ovarian cancer. They also increase a man's chance of developing male breast cancer and prostate cancer."

According to the site, there are usually two steps to genetic testing. The first is a relative with cancer getting a diagnostic blood test to see if they have a cancer risk gene, with the NHS noting that "this must happen before any healthy relatives are tested".

The second step then happens if your relative's test is positive. The NHS states: "You can have the predictive genetic test to see if you have the same faulty gene. Your GP will refer you to a local genetics service for a blood test," with results taking around two to four weeks.

However, if there are no affected relatives available for the first step, "full testing of BRCA1 and BRCA2 may be possible for those with at least a 10% chance of having a faulty gene". The site notes that this usually means having "a very strong family history of early onset breast and particularly ovarian cancer".

Mollie Quirk