Actor Lucy Liu says a misdiagnosis at age 22 led to unnecessary breast surgery after she found a lump that turned out to be noncancerous. She’s now raising awareness about the importance of screenings and “getting a second opinion.”
“I learned a lot about myself, and I think that was the beginning of advocating for myself, with my health and everything else,” Liu told Healthline. She said the experience taught her to ask questions and not rely solely on a single doctor or skip seeking additional opinions. At the time, she wasn’t aware of screening options like mammograms and ultrasounds, and she scheduled surgery without exploring alternatives. “I have a lot more curiosity for my health now than I did then,” she said.
Mikkael Sekeres, MD, chief of hematology at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, stresses the importance of second opinions. “Cancer is a serious diagnosis, and it can sometimes be quite complicated to diagnose,” he told Healthline. A study at his hospital comparing community diagnoses with centralized expert pathologists found major misdiagnoses about 20% of the time, and roughly 10% of patients received the wrong treatment for the wrong diagnosis. “You owe it to yourself to seek a second opinion on both your diagnosis and the right treatment for that cancer,” Sekeres said.
Liu notes that knowing how common cancer is should motivate people to advocate for their health. Citing long-term data, screening programs in the U.S. from 1975 to 2020 are estimated to have averted over 1.3 million cancer deaths. That estimate attributes roughly 260,000 fewer breast cancer deaths to mammograms; 200,000 fewer prostate cancer deaths to PSA testing; 160,000 fewer cervical cancer deaths to Pap smears; and 740,000 fewer colorectal cancer deaths to colonoscopies and other screening tests.
Sekeres explained that screening tests detect cancer before symptoms appear, and that screening technology and clinical guidance have improved. He emphasized routine screening elements—mammograms, Pap smears, colonoscopies, and regular skin checks—as important for catching cancer early. He added that PSA testing should be discussed between a patient and doctor to weigh risks and benefits, and that lung cancer screening is appropriate for high-risk groups, such as current smokers aged 50 to 80.
Liu advises patients not to be afraid to ask questions of their doctors and to stop calling questions “stupid.” “I try to shut that down because I really think that you don’t want to be in a situation where it’s too late,” she said, noting she knows people who’ve been diagnosed too late. She recommends consulting professionals who specialize in the relevant field and pooling their opinions to make informed decisions.
She also acknowledges that strict health regimens aren’t always realistic and advocates being present rather than expecting every day to be the same. Parenthood has reinforced her approach: she tries to lead by example for her son, Rockwell, by saying, “I’m going to go and get my checkup,” and not making screenings something to be feared.
Liu hopes sharing her personal story will reduce fear around screenings and empower others to take control of their health. “I often feel like advocacy starts with a personal story, and sometimes you have to reveal something about yourself in order for action to happen, and I’m okay with that.”
