Rita Wilson has double mastectomy, cancer

Ann Oldenburg | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Rita Wilson reveals breast cancer, double mastectomy Rita Wilson had a double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery after she was diagnosed with breast cancer. The 58-year-old actress says she underwent the procedure last week -- with husband Tom Hanks by her side.

Rita Wilson is the next Angelina Jolie when it comes to celebrities with cancer and how to handle it. And she may save some lives, too.

Wilson, 58, revealed Tuesday to People that she has breast cancer and is taking leave from the Broadway play she stars in, Fish in the Dark.

Wilson, who is married to Tom Hanks, said she had a bilateral mastectomy and reconstruction after a diagnosis of invasive lobular carcinoma. "I am recovering and, most importantly, expected to make a full recovery," she said in a statement.

Jolie, who has the breast-cancer gene, also announced it to the world when she had a double mastectomy two years ago. And last month she again went public in The New York Times about how she had her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed to help reduce her chances of developing hard-to-detect killer cancers.

Wilson could have kept her medical condition private but chose to reveal it to highlight the value of getting a second opinion.

The actress had been monitoring an underlying condition of lobular carcinoma in situ, in which abnormal cells develop in the milk glands, increasing the risk of cancer. She had had two biopsies, and something more unusual was discovered, but she was "relieved" to learn the pathology report showed no cancer.

Still, a friend urged her to get a second opinion. And her gut told her the same. "A different pathologist found invasive lobular carcinoma." A third doctor confirmed the diagnosis.

"I share this to educate others that a second opinion is critical to your health," Wilson said in her statement. "You have nothing to lose if both opinions match up for the good, and everything to gain if something that was missed is found, which does happen. Early diagnosis is key."

As with Jolie, Wilson's candor drew praise. "Rita Wilson has become the poster child for both second opinions and trusting your own instincts with regards to your body," says Howard Bragman of FifteenMinutes.com, a veteran publicist who advises numerous celebrity clients.

"I think this is a wonderful use of being a popular media figure," says Mitchell Gaynor, a professor at Weill Cornell Medical College. "It empowers patients by watching a person rationally deal with illness. This helps take away the fear, especially of a disease like cancer."

Every year, about 1.6 million women get breast biopsies, in which doctors remove tissue from a suspicious lesion, typically with a large needle. Pathologists then examine the tissue under a microscope. The vast majority of these biopsies find only benign tissue.

Most women receiving positive news don't need a second opinion, says Claudine Isaacs, oncology professor at Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center in Washington. Yet when women are diagnosed with an uncommon condition — Wilson's biopsies found pleomorphic lobular carcinoma in situ, which may be more aggressive — getting a second opinion is "not unreasonable," Isaacs says.

Second opinions might reveal other options. "Given the fact that treatment options are expanding almost by the month, it is important to make sure your doctor is current on all available options," says Gaynor.

Pathologists disagree more than many realize, particularly about precancerous lesions, according to a study in March in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Doctor were asked to examine sets of breast biopsies. While 96% agreed which samples were invasive cancer, only 87% agreed which samples were benign. Just 48% of doctors agreed which samples were "atypical" (not normal, but not yet cancerous).

If the first two doctors disagree, patients may find a third specialist to settle the matter, Isaacs says. But, she says, "if the second opinion was from a very reputable place, you may not need a third opinion."

Contributing: Liz Szabo