Actress Olivia Munn, who has spoken candidly about her 2023 breast cancer diagnosis, shared a powerful new development: her mother, Kim, was also diagnosed with breast cancer after taking the same risk assessment test that led to Munn’s own diagnosis.

In an Instagram post, Munn said her mother was diagnosed with Stage 1 HER2-positive breast cancer, a fast-growing but often treatable type of the disease. Her diagnosis came after Munn encouraged her mom and sister to take a free online breast cancer risk assessment, known as the Tyrer-Cuzick Risk Model.

The tool, which is publicly accessible and widely recommended by experts, calculates a woman’s five-year and lifetime risk of developing breast cancer using a combination of factors like age, family history, genetics, reproductive history, and more.

“My mom scored 26.2%. Her yearly mammogram had just come out clear, but because of that high score I insisted she get an MRI,” Munn wrote. That MRI led to her mother’s diagnosis—despite no red flags on her recent mammogram.

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Since then, Kim has completed 12 rounds of chemotherapy, and Munn says she will continue monthly Herceptin infusions until the fall. Kim also underwent a double mastectomy, just like her daughter did.

Munn’s social media post included photos and videos of her mother receiving treatment, preparing meals after surgery, and eventually ringing the bell after her last chemo session, surrounded by hospital staff holding signs.

“She’s handled all of this with bravery and humor,” Munn wrote, adding that her mom insisted on cooking and doing laundry days after surgery. “She’s insane—but I’m so proud of her.”

What Is the Tyrer-Cuzick Breast Cancer Risk Test?

The Tyrer-Cuzick model, also called the IBIS Risk Evaluator, is a mathematical tool used by healthcare professionals to estimate a woman’s likelihood of developing breast cancer. It’s based on clinical and personal information, such as:

• Family history of breast and ovarian cancer
• Age and age of first period
• Menopausal status
• Breast density
• Genetic markers (like BRCA mutations, if tested)

This model is often used alongside other screening tools to determine whether a woman might benefit from additional imaging like MRI scans or preventive treatments.

According to the National Cancer Institute, a lifetime risk over 20% is considered high, and patients in this category may need more aggressive or frequent screening than standard mammograms alone.

Why Mammograms Aren’t Always Enough For Breast Cancer Detection?

One of the most startling takeaways from Munn’s story is this: Kim’s mammogram had come back clean. It was only after reviewing her Tyrer-Cuzick score and following up with a breast MRI that the cancer was detected.

This is not uncommon. Mammograms are essential but not foolproof. They can miss up to 20% of breast cancers, particularly in women with dense breast tissue.

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For women at higher risk, breast MRIs offer greater sensitivity and can detect tumors that mammograms might miss.

When Cancer Runs in the Family, What How Genetics Increase Risk?

Munn’s story highlights a critical issue—hereditary risk, and how understanding it can help catch cancer early or even prevent it. Her case, and her mother’s, raise an important question:

Can Breast Cancer Be Inherited from a Parent—and What Should You Do If It Runs in Your Family?

Yes, breast cancer can absolutely run in families. According to the American Cancer Society, about 5% to 10% of breast cancers are hereditary, meaning they're caused by gene mutations passed down from a parent.

The most well-known mutations are in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, which significantly increase the risk of both breast and ovarian cancer. But other genes—such as PALB2, CHEK2, and ATM—have also been linked to elevated breast cancer risk. Here’s what to keep in mind if you have a family history:

1. Know Your History

If your mother, sister, grandmother, or even male relatives had breast or ovarian cancer—especially before age 50—your risk may be elevated. Multiple family members with cancer, or cases of both breast and ovarian cancer in one family, are red flags.

2. Get a Risk Assessment

Tools like the Tyrer-Cuzick model help calculate your personal risk level using both genetic and lifestyle factors. Many healthcare providers use it to guide recommendations for further testing or screening.

3. Consider Genetic Counseling

If your risk appears high, a genetic counselor can help you decide whether to undergo genetic testing. This is especially useful if you’re unsure of your family’s medical history or come from an ethnic background with higher BRCA mutation prevalence (e.g., Ashkenazi Jewish).

4. Screening and Prevention

If you’re identified as high-risk, you may be advised to begin annual MRIs and mammograms starting earlier than age 40. Some women also explore preventive surgeries or chemoprevention medications.

5. Talk to Your Family

Open conversations can save lives. Munn’s insistence that her mother and sister take the risk assessment directly led to her mom’s early diagnosis. Knowledge really is power when it comes to hereditary cancer risk.

Olivia Munn’s openness about her breast cancer journey and now her mother’s—shines a light on the power of preventive care and family advocacy. Her message is clear: Don’t wait for symptoms. Know your risk. Act early.

“Anything above 20% is considered high risk, and you should insist your doctor order a breast MRI,” she urged in her Instagram post.

And while genetics may predispose us to certain conditions, timely testing, awareness, and action can change the outcome. In this case, one family’s proactive approach saved two lives. It could do the same for yours.

Amanda Peet, the Hollywood actress known for roles in Something’s Gotta Give, The Whole Nine Yards, and Jack & Jill, recently opened up about her breast cancer diagnosis and how informing her kids about her health became the toughest part for her.

In a New Yorker essay published March 21, the 54-year-old actress announced how a routine scan in August 2025 showed an unusual ultrasound result. Later, a biopsy detected a tumor that “appeared” small.

The Dirty John star found to be in stage 1 of lobular cancer that is “hormone-receptor-positive” and “HER2-negative,” making her “happier than the pre-diagnosis” stage.

It is because Hormone-receptor-positive and HER2-negative cancer is less aggressive and often easier to treat than more aggressive forms of breast cancer.

However, informing her children, Frances, 19, Molly, 15, and Henry, 11, about the cancer was the toughest part for her, and she had to be in the right mindset before sharing the news with them.

“They've been great,” Peet told E! News.

“I definitely had to get myself together before including them. The hard part was realizing that nothing is certain and there was going to be no perfect time to tell them,” she added.

Peet stated that between her diagnosis, she had also been navigating a series of family health crises — with both of her parents' final months in hospice care.

The Your Friends & Neighbors actress, in her essay, also noted that she would “only need a lumpectomy and radiation,” not a double mastectomy.

Also read: Jane Fallon Diagnosed With Breast Cancer, This Is How She Caught It Early

What is Lobular Cancer?

Invasive Lobular Carcinoma (ILC) the second most common form of breast cancer, representing 5 to 15 percent of breast cancer cases.

Rather than a distinct lump, it can appear as a thickening or "fullness" rather than a tumor.

It is often difficult to detect on mammograms, thus MRI or ultrasound are more effective for detection

It is usually hormone receptor-positive.

Also read: Olivia Munn’s Mom Diagnosed With Breast Cancer After Actor Urges Her To Take Risk Test; What Should You Do If Cancer Runs In Your Family?

What Is Hormone receptor-positive (HR+) and HER2-negative (HER2−) Breast Cancer

HR+ and HER2− breast cancer is the most common subtype and is seen among 60–75 per cent of cases.

It is not two different cancers, but rather specific, defining characteristics of the same cancer type (breast cancer). It grows:

• due to hormones estrogen/progesterone,
• lacks excess HER2 protein,
• it can occur in either or both breasts
• has a better prognosis
• slower growth rate
• often treated with hormone therapy and sometimes chemotherapy.

Why Early Diagnosis Matters for Breast Cancer

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), breast cancer screening is a proactive checkup used to find cancer before any physical signs or symptoms appear. While screening doesn’t prevent cancer, its goal is early detection, making the disease much easier to treat.

Since every person’s body and history are different, you and your doctor should engage in informed and shared decision-making. This means discussing the pros and cons to decide together if, and when, screening is right for you.

The US Preventive Services Task Force (a group of national medical experts) provides guidelines based on the latest research:

Average Risk

Women aged 40 to 74 should generally get a mammogram every two years.

High Risk

If you have a family history or other risk factors, your doctor may recommend a different schedule or additional tests.

GLP-1 receptor agonists are a modern class of medicines that have changed the treatment of type 2 diabetes and obesity. In simple terms, they help the body respond to food more smartly. After eating, the intestine naturally sends signals that help regulate sugar and appetite levels.

GLP-1 RA medicines imitate this signal. As a result, blood sugar rises less after meals, appetite becomes more controlled, and many people feel full with smaller amounts of food. This is why these medicines are used not only for diabetes, but also for weight reduction in selected people.

GLP-1 Drugs: Not A Miracle Injection

These medicines are important because their benefits can go beyond sugar control alone. Studies and current diabetes guidelines show that some GLP-1 RAs can reduce body weight, improve long-term sugar levels, and lower the risk of major heart-related problems in people who have type 2 diabetes and high cardiovascular risk.

Recent guidance also supports their use in some people with chronic kidney disease when cardiovascular risk reduction is an important goal. This does not mean every drug in the group is identical, but it means the class has become medically important for more than just lowering sugar.

For the general public, one important point is that these are not “miracle injections.”

They work best when combined with better food choices, regular walking or exercise, good sleep, and medical follow-up. They are usually started slowly because the commonest side effects are stomach-related, such as nausea, vomiting, constipation, loose motions, or a feeling of fullness.

Not everyone is suitable for them, and the decision depends on a person’s diabetes status, weight, heart or kidney disease, other medicines, and cost. Used properly, GLP-1 RAs are powerful tools that can improve health, but they should always be taken under medical supervision.

GLP-1 Drugs: Urgent Need to Curb Misuse

So Indian Medical Association (IMA) is planning to seek a mandate restricting prescriptions of GLP-1 drugs to certified endocrinologists/diabetologists or MD general medicine practitioners to curb indiscriminate use and safeguard patient safety as access expands, many media report in August last year about rampant misuse of GLP1 weight loss drugs by cosmetologists, physiotherapists, dermatologists, general MBBS clinicians, and even ayurveda, and other non-modern medicine practitioners.

Many MBBS, physiotherapists, and non-modern medicine practitioners are prescribing GLP1 drugs to people who neither have diabetes nor any comorbidity or acute obesity, but purely for cosmetic reasons to lose some weight that can be otherwise easily done with some lifestyle changes like exercise and diet.

It is a duty of the government to take care of it because there is a lot of misuse and misprescription that needs to be curbed immediately, because these medicines also have side effects.

We will write to the government to take necessary action to stop the misuse of the drug. We will discuss it in our meeting in the first week of April 2026.

One in four or 25 percent of adults with type-2 diabetes in India also suffer from liver fibrosis, according to an alarming study published in The Lancet Regional Health Southeast Asia journal today.

With data from more than 9,000 patients across the country, it is the largest ever real-world survey of liver fibrosis in type 2 diabetes from any low- or middle-income country.

While fatty liver disease has been touted as the most common liver condition among diabetes patients, the new study established liver fibrosis as the real danger among people with high blood sugar.

“Type 2 diabetes is closely linked to fatty liver disease (also known as MASLD). But how common is liver Fibrosis — the real danger — in Indian diabetics? Our answer: 1 in 4 has clinically significant liver fibrosis. One in 20 already has probable cirrhosis. Most had no symptoms. We propose liver fibrosis as the ‘4th major complication’ of diabetes,” said Ashish Kumar, from Ganga Ram Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (GRIPMER), from Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, in a post on social media platform X.

Also read: About 84% IT Employees Are Suffering With Fatty Liver Disease - Why Screenings Are Necessary For Corporate Workers

What Did The Study Find?

Fatty liver is typically the first and reversible stage of liver disease, where excess fat builds up in liver cells. Left untreated, it progresses to liver fibrosis, which is the excessive accumulation of scar tissue (collagen) in the liver resulting from chronic inflammation. The condition then progresses to the third and late stage, irreversible scarring (fibrosis) of the liver. The final stage is liver cancer.

The DiaFib-Liver Study included a total of 9,202 adults with type-2 diabetes patients who underwent FibroScan (VCTE) to assess liver fibrosis in routine diabetes care.

Of these:

• 26 percent had clinically significant fibrosis,
• 14 percent had advanced fibrosis,
• 5 percent had probable cirrhosis
• 65 percent had fatty liver disease.

• obesity
• dyslipidaemia
• kidney problems
• diabetes duration ≥10 years.

Fibrosis: The Screening Target

The study suggested the urgent need to integrate fibrosis screening into national diabetes programs.

“One in four adults with type 2 diabetes in India has clinically significant liver fibrosis and one in twenty already has probable cirrhosis, establishing advanced liver disease as a 'fourth major complication' of diabetes,” said the researchers.

“The DiaFibLiver Study calls for: Fibrosis — not steatosis — as the screening target. FibroScan integration into routine diabetes care. Moving beyond ultrasound-based referral,” Jha said.

“We hope this data from India adds to the global conversation on diabetes and liver disease,” he added.

Also read: The Silent Rise of Fatty Liver Disease: How India-Specific Guidelines Can Help

The findings highlight the urgent need to:

• move beyond steatosis
• systematically integrate fibrosis assessment into routine diabetes care,
• deploy non-invasive tools such as vibration-controlled transient elastography (VCTE) in community practice
• define screening strategies,
• evaluate therapeutic interventions.

Everyday Habits That Harm the Liver

Certain lifestyle choices can accelerate liver damage, such as:

Overeating processed or fried foods

High sugar intake (soft drinks, sweets, desserts)

Physical inactivity or prolonged sitting

Ignoring health issues like diabetes or hypertension

Crash dieting or taking unprescribed supplements.

How To Improve Liver Health?

Early screening and detection are key to prevent irreversible stages. Yet liver disease can be prevented with lifestyle changes such as:

• Eating a balanced diet with vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and lean protein
• Engaging in at least 30 minutes of exercise daily
• Staying hydrated to help the liver flush out toxins
• Avoiding alcohol and smoking
• Avoiding self-medication and unnecessary pills
• Getting routine health screenings.