Actress shared already announced that she is battling breast cancer again, and this
time it is stage 4. Here’s a
picture during her very first
battle back in 2016. She
came out she was brave but she
was strong said she was going
to beat it. Cardi
says it’s so for more than a
year now she’s been battling
cancer while filming the
Beverly Hills reboot
she says what you want to do is
break the stigma around cancer
saying life doesn’t end the
minute we get this diagnosis.
We still have some living to
do. So joining me now to unpack
this a kind of look at our
future what she’s dealing with
Diane Johnson memorial’s director of breast imaging appreciate you coming in and
you for having me you reviewed
my films of my very first
mammogram so I appreciate I
love the way you kind of break
it down to make it very simple,
you know I think a lot of
people are wondering you know
now that she’s having this
reoccur in a reoccurrence and
stage 4. What are her chances
of survival. So it’s really
quite variable. I will say
people do very well now with a
modern treatments that we have
and you know we think about
recurrence of people are
confused about what that really
even means and the different
stages, but you know basically
when we talk about recurrence.
We can think of 3 different
types of recurrence. So
recurrence can happen.
Locally and that’s when the
cancer comes back at their site
of the
original cancer. So and then
you can have a regional
recurrence for comes back near
that site
and you can also have a distant
recurrence which is when the
cancer comes back at other
parts of the body. So for
example in the liver, the
phones are the brain.
So even when you get that
diagnosis and you go back into
remission you’re still monitor
by the doctor on to it as their
pet absolutely in general
patients will see their
oncologists at very regular
intervals with regular.
>> Tests and scans
to monitor for evidence of
disease and whether the disease
is progressing
or if it’s going away or any
other indicators that you know
a patient to be aware of that
the cancer’s come back.
So it is often very difficult
because the symptoms are are
widely variable depending on
where it comes
back so most cancer recur
breast cancer recurrences are
going to occur in the first 2
to 5 years.
And if their local recurrences
patients would look for new law
mp’s changes in
new nipple retraction any skin
changes any swelling under the
arm and those are some things
if if the cancer comes back
either locally or regionally
so for distant disease, it
really depends where the cancer
comes
back so pain unexplained back
pain unexplained hip pain.
Thanks that might relate to
bone problems liver enzymes
that that all of a sudden
aren’t that would be a
blood test. Any changes in
mental Things like that.
So that’s why it’s so important
really to follow up your doctor
and doctors orders were talking
about to mocks offend
and oftentimes of patients
diagnosed with breast cancer,
they’re told to take that for 5
years and what your point was
as you want to take it exactly
how the doctor prescribed it’s
so important so if you’re
prescribed to mock stuff in
order robot ace, inhibitor any
occur in different therapy.
It’s so important to take that
medication exactly as the
doctor prescribed, and if
you’re having problems or any
questions with the medication
don’t hesitate to ask your own
college us.
You know this diagnosis in her
being so outspoken about it is
really a gift to you because
you’re able to raise
awareness and talk more about
this disease. You know
oftentimes women say oh I need
to do my self breast exam and
eye. I don’t always do my
neither back I
rarely do. Yeah, I know that
their benefits so I have a real
I have a tip for that and even
though breast self-exams a
little bit controversial
because some people say well I
don’t know I might not feel
what I tell people is don’t
stress about it. But if you do
it on a regular basis. You
will notice differences and
here’s my little trick. There
are apps
for that. So we’re really are
you can get an app that will
send you a reminder and that’s
what I use.
And we’ll send you a reminder
once a month at the right time
in your cycle if you’re still
months trading or if you’re
postmenopausal you can pick a
day and it will send you a
little reminder to do your
breast self exam and the rules
are kind of different a fitting
on ethnicity, we know that
African American women have
more
dense breast and so that
requires a different type of
screening in
some cases so certainly dense
breast tissue. A kit can can
occur in all ethnicities and
age groups but is much more
common in younger women and
often an African American women
as well, but dense breast
tissue is certainly an issue
and we want patients to be
aware of their breast density
and and talk to their doctors
about whether they need any any
supplemental screening all
right keep those screening is
so important and very most
important which Shannon, the
best absolutely it’s this
battle very publicly on.
So if you missed any of this
interview left for you to share