Mammograms can be scary — but as R&B singer Shanice knows, not getting them can lead to a far scarier result.
A mammogram in her mid-40s led to the misdiagnosis of an ultimately benign cyst as a cancerous mass. While the outcome was positive, the health scare was enough to compel the “I Love Your Smile” singer to avoid subsequent mammograms, which are recommended annually after the age of 40.
“Because of the fear that I had when they thought they saw something, I didn’t go for eight years,” Shanice, full name Shanice Wilson-Knox, told “Good Morning America” during a recent appearance.
Overcoming her fear of further misdiagnosis, the now-51-year-old singer finally returned for another scan in March after feeling a lump in her breast. The results revealed another frightening — and this time, accurate — diagnosis. The mother of two was diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), an early form of breast cancer that can develop inside the milk ducts on one or both breasts.
While DCIS is non-aggressive, typically non-invasive, and easily treatable, it is also common, comprising 20% to 25% of new breast cancer diagnoses each year, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Among the risk factors is dense breast tissue, a condition that is more common in Black women and can make mammograms more difficult to read, as dense breast tissue and tumors show up similarly in imaging. Notably, DCIS cases have been on the rise, a trend experts believe is due to lower rates of diagnosis and treatment.
For Shanice, the diagnosis led her to opt for a double mastectomy, a procedure she underwent in May. The surgery proved more crucial than initially thought, as it revealed a stage 1, one-centimeter tumor in one of her breasts.
“When I had my surgery and they told me I had cancer, I literally lost my smile,” she told GMA host Michael Strahan. She kept both her diagnosis and double mastectomy quiet for months. In September, she shared her story on Instagram, including a video of herself in the hospital ahead of surgery.
“This is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to face in my life, but I know God is with me and everything’s gonna go well,” she said in the clip.
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In the caption of the post, she elaborated on her diagnosis and treatment, thanking both her medical team and community of family, friends and additional health practitioners, including her longtime husband and former reality show co-star, actor-comedian Flex Alexander. “Thank God I caught it early … I wasn’t ready to talk about it then but I’m strong enough to talk about it now,” she wrote, urging others to be vigilant about their breast health. “Please, everyone, get checked.”
Speaking with GMA, she echoed that advice, telling the show’s hosts, “I just want to tell women how important it is to get your mammograms … If I would have gone sooner, I could have caught [my breast cancer] when it was just at stage zero.”
“Put that fear aside,” she continued. “If you get checked early, you can beat this thing. It’s not a death sentence. If you can get there early, you’ll live.”
Now cancer-free, Shanice assured viewers there is not only life but joy on the other side of a breast cancer diagnosis. “I wanted to come on the show to encourage women that you have to keep smiling,” she said. “I got my smile back.”
