Lucy Liu is reflecting on a frightening moment from her past—one that ultimately shaped how she approaches her health today.
In an interview with PEOPLE on Saturday, April 11, the 57-year-old actress shared that she was once misdiagnosed with breast cancer in the 1990s after discovering a lump.
Liu Opens Up About Getting the Original Diagnosis
At the time, she said, she didn’t initially panic—but the situation quickly became serious.
“I didn’t really think too much about it,” Liu admitted. “But it was scary, because at that time, there was less information that was available, because we didn’t have internet.”
According to Liu, her doctor examined the lump and immediately told her it was cancer—without conducting additional testing. She explained that she moved forward without undergoing standard screenings.
Her doctor “sort of felt the lump and said it was cancer,” Liu said, adding that she went ahead without “getting screened” or doing any follow-up tests, including “an ultrasound or a mammogram.”
Instead, she made a swift decision to act.
Liu revealed that she “immediately scheduled” surgery to have the lump removed.
It wasn’t until afterward that she learned the growth was not cancerous.
Liu Said She Learned to Star Advocating for Herself
Looking back, the experience marked a turning point. “I think that was the beginning of understanding how to advocate for myself,” she said.
At the time, however, she admitted she didn’t question the diagnosis—even when encouraged to do so.
“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,’” Liu explained.
Now, decades later, the “Kill Bill” actress is using her story to encourage others to take a more active role in their healthcare decisions.
She emphasized the importance of screenings, education, and asking questions—especially when facing serious diagnoses.
“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 said.
Liu also acknowledged that, even with modern technology and access to information, many people still avoid routine screenings.
“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,” she noted.
But she stressed the stakes are too high to ignore. “[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.”
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