Bilateral breast cancer: X-Men actress Olivia Munn battles an aggressive ailment

Actress Olivia Munn, who has starred in Newsroom, X-Men: Apocalypse and The Predator recently revealed that she underwent a fifth surgery last month as part of her ongoing battle with breast cancer. The 43-year-old was diagnosed with bilateral breast cancer after tests revealed that she had Luminal B - a fast-growing, aggressive cancer - in both of her breasts. She had four surgeries in 10 months, including a double mastectomy performed 30 days after her biopsy. "I have now had an oophorectomy and hysterectomy. I took out my uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries," she told the media. 

Side effects of estrogen-suppressing drug
She spoke about the side effects of the prescribed estrogen-suppressing drug Lupron. "It was next-level, debilitating exhaustion. I would wake up in the morning and almost immediately need to get back into bed," she added. Asked how the medication impacted her life at home, Munn said: "If you asked Malcolm, 'Where does Daddy work?' he'd run to his (Mulaney's) desk, and if you asked him, 'Where does Mommy work?' he'd point to my bed. It was so sweet. But at the same time, it was breaking my heart because this is his image of me."

She said she eventually asked doctors for an alternative to the drug, which led to her most recent surgery. "It was a big decision to make, but it was the best decision for me because I needed to be present for my family. I had friends try to cheer me up by saying, 'Malcolm's not going to remember this. Don't worry.' But I just kept thinking to myself, 'I'm going to remember this, that I missed all these things.' It's his childhood, but it's my motherhood, and I don't want to miss any of these parts if I don't have to." 

What is bilateral breast cancer?
Those who suffer from bilateral breast cancer have cancerous cells in both breasts. Unlike unilateral breast cancer, this can happen at different times or even at the same time. Though the exact cause behind the ailment is not known, experts say a combination of lifestyle, genetic and environmental factors like mutations, family history, hormones, radiation exposure, obesity, alcohol consumption and age can contribute to the risk of this cancer. 

Symptoms of the disease
If you detect the presence of a lump or mass in your breast tissue, change in the organ's size or shape, redness, dimpling or thickening of its skin, inversion or discharge in nipples, breast pain or discomfort, swelling or inflammation on breasts, you should go for a clinical breast exam or mammograms with the advice of healthcare professionals. 
(With PTI inputs)