The actress found a lump in her breast the ended up being non-cancerous in the 1990s
Credit: Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- Lucy Liu got an inaccurate cancer diagnosis after she felt a lump in her breast in the 1990s
- The actress tells PEOPLE in an exclusive interview that she didn’t question the diagnosis because she thought, “Well, what’s the point? The doctor knows what they’re talking about”
- Liu is now working with Pfizer for the company’s Every Breakthrough Matters campaign to raise awareness of the importance of early detection through cancer screening
Lucy Liu is looking back at a time in her life when she was given an inaccurate cancer diagnosis.
In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, the actress, 57, says she went to the doctor in the 1990s after she found a lump in her breast.
"I didn't really think too much about it," Liu admits. "But it was scary, because at that time, there was less information that was available, because we didn't have internet."
The mother of one explains that her doctor "sort of felt the lump and said it was cancer," and she went without "getting screened" or doing any follow-up tests, including "an ultrasound or a mammogram."
Instead, the Devil Wears Prada 2 star "immediately scheduled" and went for surgery to have the lump removed from her breast, before she later learned that it was non-cancerous.
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Credit: Royal Gilbert
Decades later, as she reflects on her journey now, Liu tells PEOPLE, "I think that was the beginning of understanding how to advocate for myself."
According to the star, in the moment when she got what she thought was an official cancer diagnosis, she didn't think to push any further. "Even though my friend had said to get a second opinion, I sort of thought, 'Well, what's the point? The doctor knows what they're talking about,' " she admits.
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Now, working with Pfizer for the company's Every Breakthrough Matters campaign, Liu wants to motivate others to be their own biggest advocates, and she is using her platform to raise awareness of the importance of early detection through cancer screening.
"It's not about the fixing, it's about really understanding what screening is, and about information and advocacy. That's a really important thing," she says. "And even though there is so much available to us technologically, a lot of people don't do it because they don't want to know if something's wrong or they're too busy. … [But] as busy as you are, it's a lifesaving thing, because, oftentimes, it's caught too late, and at that point, you're basically scrambling to figure out what your resources are."
Credit: Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty; Manny Carabel/Getty
Liu is glad she can help others advocate for their own well-being, and she tells PEOPLE she has no qualms about how her own health journey played out years ago.
"I never really reflect and regret. I always look at a situation and I grow from it," she says. "I think there are too many punishing moments that you can have, and I don't think it should start from that place."
"I think it should start from a much more positive place, because you can't go back in time. So it's more like, 'Okay, what can I do differently and what is a better choice for myself and for others?'" the Charlie's Angels alum continues.
Liu adds, "I feel like a lot of people have been advocating for themselves more and more, and especially for women's health in general."
"I think is vital, because I don't want to continue to lose people, and I don't want people to feel hurt and lost and scared," she continues. "I want this to be part of their regular regimen: if you can get up every single day and work out, this is something you do just once or twice a year for yourself, and it is really critical."
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