Reaching Milestones After Cancer
- “Real Housewives of Atlanta” star Monyetta Shaw-Carter has revealed she’s an early-stage breast cancer survivor and is moving forward by celebrating her 45th birthday with more gratitude than ever before.
- After being diagnosed with stage 1 invasive ductal carcinoma in November 2024, Shaw-Carter had a lumpectomy in January, followed by 16 rounds of radiation. She completed her treatment on May 2.
- Early-stage breast cancer means there is a small tumor in the breast, and no lymph nodes are impacted.
- Treating cancer in this early stage usually involves removing the cancer through surgery with the possibility of radiation. The type of surgery may include a lumpectomy (removal of the tumor and surrounding tissues) or a mastectomy (removal of the breast).
- Many women who undergo a mastectomy choose to get breast reconstruction. The procedure may use implants using a woman’s own tissue or saline or silicone. Reconstruction can happen immediately or months after a mastectomy.
In honor of turning 45, the Louisiana native and former radio personality—who is mom to two children she shares with her ex-fiancé R&B singer Ne-Yo and step-mom to her husband Heath Carter’s two daughters— took to social media to share her optimistic outlook on life and offer fans some insight into her recent cancer battle.
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Shaw continued, “This one’s personal! This one’s powerful! This one’s for every version of me that didn’t give up! Today, I’m finally ready to share that I am a breast cancer survivor!! The journey was private, but the victory is loud!!!”
“This new chapter is about purpose, peace, and pouring love into every moment. Thank you to everyone who’s walked beside me. To my wonderful husband who has held me down in a major way (you’re everything) …… to my incredible father who continues to be my rock…. to my amazing kids who were so strong and will forever be “my reasons”…… to my family & friends your prayers, calls, and presence carried me. THANK YOU! I love you dearly!”
After thanking her team of doctors, nurses, and hospital staff for helping her through her health struggle, she added, “And to my angels, Mama, Mike, my Grandparents, Uncles, etc..…Thank y’all!! I can feel it!!
“And to my miraculous GOD…. Hallelujah!!!! YOU ARE AMAZING!! I GIVE YOU ALL OF THE GLORY!!! I’m still here, stronger than ever, and more grateful than I could ever put into words!
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Monyetta Shaw-Carter’s Breast Cancer Journey
Shaw-Carter offered more information on her breast cancer battle in an exclusive interview with People, revealing she was diagnosed in November 2024 and explaining to the celebrity news outlet, “I had a biopsy about 10 years ago, and it came back benign. Then last year, in September, I was doing a self-check because I felt this random sensation that I can’t really describe in my left boob. It was like nothing I’ve ever felt before. It was literally like my body was alerting me that something was wrong.”
About four weeks later, she underwent a routine mammogram where doctors discovered a lump, leading to her diagnosis of stage 1 invasive ductal carcinoma.
She underwent a lumpectomy in January, followed by 16 rounds of radiation, and concluded her treatment on May 2.
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Shaw Carter added, “Because I caught the cancer early, I will be here for my kids. There’s nothing more important than getting checked often and early to protect your future. Our health is irreplaceable. I can’t thank my exceptional doctors and nurses enough. They are our heroes!”
She also recounted getting both of her breasts removed, but “favorable” genetic testing results led her to choose a lumpectomy instead.
Helping Patients Cope with Early-Stage Breast Cancer
- Updated Guidelines on Biomarkers for Early-Stage Breast Cancer
- Early Stage Breast Cancer: What to Know About Testing
- How Does Molecular Testing Help Determine the Best Breast Cancer Treatment Option?
- Introduction to Early-Stage Breast Cancer
- I Have Stage Zero Breast Cancer: What Should I Do?
- How Does Molecular Testing Guide Cancer Treatment Decisions?
- Surgery or Chemo First? How is Breast Cancer Treatment Order Determined
“It’s so important for me to share this story because I hope to inspire others not to dismiss their gut feeling,” Shaw-Carter, who hopes her story encourages others to get checked for breast cancer, told People.
“Our body speaks to us, and when it does, we have to listen. It can be a matter of life or death.”
What to Know About Screening For Breast Cancer
The medical community has a consensus that women between 45 and 54 have annual mammograms. However, an independent panel of experts called the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) is saying that women should start getting mammograms every other year at the age of 40, suggesting that this lowered the age for breast cancer screening could save 19% more lives.
WATCH: Screening for Breast Cancer
The American Cancer Society recommends getting a mammogram every other year for women 55 and older. However, women in this age group who want added reassurance can still get annual mammograms.
Women who have a strong family history of breast cancer, have dense breasts, have a genetic mutation known to increase the risk of breast cancer, such as a BRCA gene mutation, or a medical history, including chest radiation therapy before age 30, are considered at higher risk for breast cancer.
Understanding the BRCA Gene Mutation
Experiencing menstruation at an early age (before 12) or having dense breasts can also put you into a high-risk category. If you are at a higher risk for developing breast cancer, you should begin screening earlier.
Breast density is determined through mammograms. However, women with dense breasts are at a higher risk for developing breast cancer because dense breast tissue can mask potential cancer during screening. 3D mammograms, breast ultrasound, breast MRI, and molecular breast imaging are options for women with dense breasts for a more precise screening. It is important to ask your doctor about your breast density and cancer risk.
Although breast cancer can happen to anyone, certain factors can increase a person’s risk of getting the disease. The known risk factors for breast cancer include:
- Older age
- Having a gene mutation such as the BRCA1 or BRCA2
- Added exposure to estrogen
- Having children after the age of 30
- Exposure to radiation early in life
- Family history of the disease
RELATED: Is Genetic Testing Right for You?
Different types of genetic testing can help people with a family history of cancer better ascertain their cancer risks. Your doctor will discuss your family history of cancer with you in the context of your type of tumor and your age at diagnosis. Hereditary genetic testing is usually done with a blood or saliva test.
The second test involves the genetic sequencing of your tumor if you’ve been diagnosed with cancer by this point. These genetic changes can be inherited, but most arise during a person’s lifetime. This process usually involves examining a biopsy or surgical specimen of your tumor. This testing can lead to decisions on drugs that might work against your cancer.
WATCH: Understanding genetic testing for breast cancer.
About ten percent of breast cancers are hereditary, says Dr. Ophira Ginsburg, Director of the High-Risk Cancer Program at NYU Langone’s Perlmutter Cancer Center.
“We encourage only those who have a family history to really get [genetic testing],” Dr. Ginsburg previously told SurvivorNet.
“I would say that if you have anyone in your family who was diagnosed with a very rare cancer. Or if you have a strong family history of one or two kinds of cancer, particularly breast and ovarian, but also colon, rectal, uterine, and ovarian cancer, that goes together in another cancer syndrome called the Lynch Syndrome,” Dr. Ginsburg adds.
When You’re Getting a Mammogram, Ask About Dense Breasts
Treating Breast Cancer
For anyone battling breast cancer, it’s important to understand that your doctor has many ways to treat breast cancer, including:
- Surgery
- Chemotherapy
- Radiation
- Hormone therapy
- Targeted therapy
- Immunotherapy
“It’s important to understand why your doctor is recommending a particular type of treatment,” Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center’s Dr. Jessica Tao previously told SurvivorNet.
Breast Cancer: Introduction to Prevention & Screening
Surgery
Most women with breast cancer will have surgery at some point in their treatment. Depending on how far your cancer has spread and your personal preferences, you and your doctor may decide to:
- Remove just the cancer and an area of healthy tissue around it (lumpectomy)
- Remove one breast (mastectomy)
- Remove both breasts (double mastectomy)
- Removing your breasts can have a dramatic effect on your self-esteem, which is why some women who opt for a mastectomy then choose breast
- reconstruction surgery. This is a highly personal choice, and there is no “right” answer as to whether or not to reconstruct.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy uses strong drugs to kill cancer all over the body. You may get this treatment to shrink a tumor before surgery, afterward to get rid of any remaining cancer cells, or on its own if you can’t have surgery.
Whether or not to have chemotherapy can also be a choice, depending on a woman’s age, type of cancer, and stage.
Radiation Therapy
Radiation therapy is the use of high-energy rays to destroy cancer cells and is typically used after surgery to lower the chance that the cancer will come back after treatment. Many women undergo radiation as part of their treatment, especially if they opt for a lumpectomy instead of a mastectomy.
Hormone Therapy
The hormones estrogen and progesterone help some breast cancers grow. Doctors refer to these types of cancers as hormone-receptor-positive breast cancers. Receptors are proteins on the surface of breast cells that receive messages from estrogen, progesterone, or both, telling them to grow. Treatments that block these hormones may help stop the tumor.
Testing the tumor sample from a biopsy helps to determine whether hormone therapies such as tamoxifen (Nolvadex) or anastrozole (Arimidex) might work against the cancer. Women with breast cancer that is fueled by estrogen may take one of these drugs as part of their treatment.
Immunotherapy and Targeted Therapy
Immunotherapy and targeted therapies are newer forms of treatment. Immunotherapy boosts your body’s own immune response to help it stop the cancer.
As their name suggests, targeted therapies target certain substances that help the cancer grow. For example, drugs like trastuzumab (Herceptin) and pertuzumab (Perjeta) treat breast cancers that have too much of a protein called HER2 on their surface.
Deciding the Right Course of Breast Cancer Treatment
Doctors treating breast cancer seek out markers on your particular cancer to help decide what course of treatment is best for you. This is due to the cancer cells possibly having what are known as receptors that help identify the unique features of the cancer.
The three main receptors are the estrogen receptor, the progesterone receptor, and the HER2 receptor. The estrogen and progesterone receptors go together because hormones fuel them. Think of the cancer cell as having little hands on the outside of the cell, which grabs hold of proteins that help it grow. These proteins are sometimes called “ligands.”
An example of a type of ligand that can stimulate a cancer cell is the hormone estrogen. An estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer will be stimulated by estrogen to grow. In this instance, your doctor may offer you treatment to specifically target the estrogen receptor.
The Unique Features of Breast Cancer
Another important receptor to test for is the HER2 receptor. For HER2-positive breast cancers (like the stage zero cancer Macpherson was diagnosed with), therapies that uniquely target the HER2 receptor are essential to treating the disease.
Efforts to Close the Gap Among Black Women Facing Cancer
Black women experience higher cancer deaths than other racial groups. We know the biology and genetics of Black women contribute to these disparities because in the case of triple-negative breast cancer, an aggressive form of the disease, a gene that can slow cancer growth isn’t as pervasive in Black women compared to white women.
This Spring, the American Cancer Society launched a groundbreaking study called “Voices of Black Women,” which focused specifically on Black women and delved deeper into why cancer impacts this community so hard.
“I’m hopeful that we will generate more granular information on what is really driving these higher mortality rates among Black women,” Dr. Kathie-Ann Joseph, a breast surgeon and vice chair for diversity and health equity in the Department of Surgery at NYU Langone Health Perlmutter Cancer Center tells SurvivorNet.
“This study includes women who are not only African-American but may be of Caribbean or direct African descent who recently immigrated. We may find different patterns in these subgroups, which may be quite interesting. We haven’t had studies large enough to see if this population has distinct differences,” Dr. Joseph said, who also enrolled in the study.
While Black men and women experience higher mortality rates from cancer, women are the focus of the study.
Figuring Out If You’re Ready to Share Your Diagnosis
Some people battling a disease or cancer are open to sharing their experiences as much as they can, while others prefer to keep it to themselves or close loved ones. SurvivorNet experts say both approaches, and everything in between, are valid.
WATCH: Sharing a Diagnosis
“Patients who have just been diagnosed with cancer sometimes wonder how they are going to handle the diagnosis of the cancer in social situations,” psychiatrist Dr. Lori Plutchik explains.
Plutchik says patients consider questions like “How much information should they share and with whom should they share the information?”
Dr. Plutchik explains, “There is no one right way to handle this diagnosis. People should do what feels right to them.”
A cancer journey can last months to years, which means cancer warriors may be experiencing a lot of uncertainty until they fully understand where their health stands. This uncertainty can influence when a cancer patient is ready to share their diagnosis, Dr. Plutchik further explained.
Dr. Plutchik stresses that those close to a person going through cancer should be respectful of their wishes when it comes to disclosing their diagnosis and seeking support.
Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff
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