Rita Wilson: I Had Double Mastectomy

Actress reveals her fight against breast cancer
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 14, 2015 9:45 AM CDT
Rita Wilson: I Had Double Mastectomy
Tom Hanks, left, and Rita Wilson arrive at the "Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special" at Rockefeller Plaza on Feb. 15, 2015, in New York.   (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

Rita Wilson was recently diagnosed with breast cancer, but she tells People she's expected to make a full recovery. "Last week, with my husband by my side, and with the love and support of family and friends, I underwent a bilateral mastectomy and reconstruction," she says, attributing her good prognosis to early detection, "excellent doctors," and a second opinion. Wilson, the wife of Tom Hanks, explains that for years she's had a condition known as lobular carcinoma in situ, which doctors have been monitoring via mammograms and breast MRIs. (LCIS involves abnormal cell growth and increases a person's risk of breast cancer, USA Today explains.) Two recent surgical breast biopsies found another condition, pleomorphic carcinoma in situ, but no cancer.

But because PLCIS "is often found alongside DCIS (ductal carcinoma in situ)," she explains, a friend suggested she get a second opinion. The next pathologist she saw did, indeed, find invasive lobular carcinoma (the second most common form of breast cancer, USA Today notes), and that cancer diagnosis was confirmed by another doctor. "I share this to educate others that a second opinion is critical to your health," the 58-year-old says. "You have nothing to lose if both opinions match up for the good, and everything to gain if something that was missed is found, which does happen. Early diagnosis is key." (Click to read about 10 more celebrity breast cancer survivors.)

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