Cassandra Thorburn, the ex-wife of Australian television host Karl Stefanovic, has shared her experience with a rare form of breast cancer, occult breast cancer, which she was diagnosed with despite having no palpable lump.
Occult breast cancer accounts for about one percent of all breast cancer cases and is characterized by cancer spreading to surrounding tissues when the primary tumor within the breast remains undetected. Thorburn, 55, described her initial confusion upon being told she had breast cancer without a lump being found during a routine mammogram in February. "That doesn't make any sense. How can you be told you've got breast cancer without a lump?" she told nine.com.au. She added that no lump was found during her mammogram.
Looking back, Thorburn recalled experiencing mild pain in her armpit area, which she had attributed to her strenuous workouts, including Muay Thai martial arts classes. "Sometimes I thought, 'Do I have a sore underarm?'" she said.
The journalist emphasized the importance of her routine screening, which she underwent after receiving a reminder letter. She believes that without the scan, her cancer might not have been detected until it was too late. Thorburn has undergone chemotherapy, surgeries, and radiation therapy, and is now cancer-free, though she still has remaining radiation treatments.
She first shared news of her health battle in a February Instagram video, explaining her decision to be open about her diagnosis. "Most of it is controlling the only part of my treatment and diagnosis that I can. That's the part about when the hair comes off and when you tell people. For my adult children and for myself, I'm not interested in hiding, and that's because I'm not alone," she said in the video. Thorburn expressed a determined outlook, stating, "It may have flipped my world in days, but there's no 'why me?' There's no 'poor me' here. Just a desire to stop this in its tracks."
Thorburn was married to Karl Stefanovic, host of the morning show 'Today', for 21 years before their separation in 2016. They have three adult children together. Stefanovic has since remarried and has a young daughter with his current wife.