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Olivia Munn Discusses Breast Cancer, Christine Brinkley Diagnosed With Basal Cell Carcinoma and More

From Oliva Munn and Christine Brinkley discussing their cancer to Donnie Iris returning to the stage after his experience with the disease, here is what’s happening in the oncology space this week.

Image of skin cancer cells.

Christine Brinkley, actress and model, received a diagnosis of skin cancer and now advocates for skin checkups and sun protection.

Christine Brinkley revealed that she had been diagnosed with skin cancer.

Model and actress Christine Brinkley, who gained fame through her modeling for “Sports Illustrated” and CoverGirl, received a diagnosis of basal cell carcinoma, which is a common form of skin cancer, she announced on Instagram.

Brinkley’s diagnosis came after she accompanied her daughter to a checkup. “It wasn’t my appointment, so I wasn’t going to say anything, but at the very end, I asked if he could just look at a little tiny dot I could feel as I applied my foundation. He took a look and knew immediately it needed a biopsy!” she wrote in the caption.

The basal cell carcinoma was surgically removed, and now Brinkley is advocating for skin checkups and sun protection. “The good news for you is that all of this can be avoided by being diligent with your sun protection! I got serious a bit late so now for this ole mermaid/gardener, I’ll be slathering on my SPF 30, reapplying as needed, wearing long sleeves and a wide-brim hat. And doing regular total body checkups … that is a must!”

Olivia Munn opened up about her breast cancer diagnosis and treatment.

Actress Olivia Munn, who is known for her roles on “The Newsroom” and being a correspondent on “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,” announced on Instagram that she received a diagnosis of an “aggressive, fast-moving” luminal B breast cancer 10 months ago and underwent four surgeries to treat the disease.

“I’m lucky. We caught it with enough time that I had options. I want the same for any woman who might have to face this one day,” she wrote on the Instagram post. “I’m so thankful to my friends and family for loving me through this. I’m so thankful to [my husband] John [Mulaney] for the nights he spent researching what every operation and medication meant and what side effects and recovery I could expect.”

Munn noted that her mammogram back in the winter of 2023 reflected nothing abnormal until she received her diagnosis two months after when her OB/GYN calculated her breast cancer risk assessment score. Factors including her age and family history equated to a 37% lifetime risk, according to the risk assessment.

Donnie Iris ready to return to the stage one year after his bladder cancer diagnosis.

American rock musician Donnie Iris, 81, from the Jaggerz and Wild Cherry is “excited more than anything,” to return to the stage, he said during an interview with TribLIVE.

His first time back on stage after taking a year-long break will be Mar. 16, 2024, to perform with the Cruisers at the UPMC Events Center.

Iris received a diagnosis of bladder cancer in February of 2023 after a visit to his doctor.

“My doctor had called me after a visit to her, and she said flat out, ‘You have cancer.’ I said, ‘What?’ and she diagnosed it,” he recalled to TribLIVE. “I went back to her right away, of course, to see what could be done, and we had to start treatments right away. It was weird, man, very weird.”

Soon after, he received treatment which included surgery and chemotherapy for approximately seven months. For about a year, he moved in with his daughter and her husband and is now cancer-free.

“I was able to be taken care of and, of course, I thank her with all my heart for that. It was great,” Iris said. “It could have been — without somebody there to help you — it would have been so difficult. I don’t know if I’d have made it, but she was there and everything worked out for me.”

Baseball player Tyler Duffey discussed his melanoma diagnosis.

Tyler Duffey, baseball pitcher of the Royals, noticed a slight change on the freckle on his left shoulder. His gut instinct, along with his wife’s, was to see a doctor.

In mid-February of 2024, he mentioned the freckle to his team dermatologist, who noted it looked strange, according to MLB.

“Without him doing that, who knows where we are in six months?” Duffey told MLB.

He received a diagnosis of melanoma after a biopsy on the freckle, which gave Duffey a new perspective on both life and baseball.

“We play a game for a living, I get to manage a team for a living, but everybody’s a human being out here,” manager Matt Quatraro told MLB. “Whether it’s skin cancer, colon cancer or all the different screenings you can get, it’s invaluable. It literally helps save lives.”

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