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Actor Lucy Liu is sharing how a misdiagnosis at 22 led to unnecessary breast cancer surgery. Now she\u2019s working to raise awareness about the importance of cancer screenings and \u201cgetting a second opinion.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Award-winning actress Lucy Liu will always remember the year 1991. She was 22 years old and found a lump on her breast that led to unnecessary surgery; the lump turned out to be noncancerous.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\u201cI learned a lot about myself, and I think that was the beginning of advocating for myself, with my health and everything else,\u201d she told Healthline. \u201cI think it was a real moment to, I guess, empower myself and recognize the weakness of\u2026not asking questions\u2026and relying solely on the doctor, and also not getting a second opinion<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cAnd so, I really didn\u2019t do anything except go in, then go and schedule a surgery,\u201d she said. \u201cI have a lot more curiosity for my health now than I did then.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Seeking out a second opinion is always critical when it comes to health, said Mikkael Sekeres,<\/a> MD, chief of hematology at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of the University of Miami Health System.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cCancer is a serious diagnosis, and it can sometimes be quite complicated to diagnose,\u201d he told Healthline.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cWe found that major misdiagnoses occurred 20% of the time, and even more frighteningly, 10% of patients received the wrong treatment for the wrong diagnosis,\u201d Sekeres said. \u201cYou owe it to yourself to seek a second opinion on both your diagnosis and the right treatment for that cancer.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \u201cKnowing that \u201cA screening test identifies cancer in an individual who does not yet have symptoms from the cancer, before you or your doctor even know it\u2019s there,\u201d said Sekeres.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n He said screening tests<\/a> have become more accurate and less invasive, and that doctors have become better at recommending when to undergo screening tests.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Mammograms, Pap smears, colonoscopies, and regular skin checks are important aspects of maintaining your health and preventing more serious consequences of cancer, he added.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cPSA testing for prostate cancer should involve a conversation between you and your doctor about the risks and benefits, and screening for lung cancer<\/a> should be undertaken by high risk groups, such as current smokers aged 50 to 80 years,\u201d Sekeres said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n