Spurred by her own cancer journey, Katie Couric has amplified her advocacy efforts, turning personal challenges into widespread awareness and legislative action.
How have your personal experiences with cancer changed the way you now advocate for your and others’ health?
My experiences with cancer, both as a caregiver and as a patient and survivor, have made me acutely aware of the importance of being proactive about one’s health. After losing my husband, Jay Monahan, to colorectal cancer at age 42 and my sister, Emily, to pancreatic cancer at 54, I became a strong advocate for early screening and detection.
My own breast cancer diagnosis in 2022 further reinforced the importance of my advocacy. I was six months late for my annual mammogram when I was diagnosed, and since that experience, I have become even more vocal about the necessity of timely cancer screenings. My breast cancer diagnosis revealed I have dense breast tissue, a factor that increases the risk of breast cancer and can require additional screenings to properly detect the disease. I’m a big supporter of more comprehensive testing for women with dense breasts, and I was so happy the FDA announced new regulations in 2023 requiring mammogram providers to inform patients about the density of their breasts.
I also helped introduce legislation called the Find It Early Act in Congress. This bill would ensure all health insurance plans cover additional screening for women with dense breasts, like ultrasounds and MRIs, with no cost sharing. Overall, I encourage people to be their own advocates and be proactive about their health. Know your family history, find a doctor who takes your concerns seriously, and seek second opinions if you feel you need more information.
Are there any misconceptions about colon cancer screening that you’d like to debunk?
One of the big misconceptions about colorectal cancer is that it’s an old man’s disease. That’s simply untrue. Women are diagnosed as often as men, and there’s been an alarming increase in colon cancer cases among both men and women under the age of 50. Also, I think many people think that if they don’t have a family history, they’re immune from getting this disease, but I always say that no family history is no guarantee. In fact, 75% of colon cancer cases involve people with no family history.
Finally, I think a lot of people are unaware that the screening age for a baseline colonoscopy has been lowered to 45. That happened in 2021, but I think we need to ensure people are aware of that change. There are several screening techniques that can be discussed with your doctor.
Also, if you have any symptoms — like rectal bleeding, bloating, unexplained weight loss, or change in bowel habits or stool shape — you need to talk to your doctor. If you’re told it’s hemorrhoids or dismissed for being alarmist, it wouldn’t hurt to get a second opinion from a gastroenterologist. I’ve heard stories about doctors blowing off their patients, and their cancer advances to a stage that is less easy to cure.
What can healthcare providers do to increase the rate of early diagnosis of colon cancer?
It’s critical for healthcare providers to encourage patients to get screened. That means all healthcare providers — OBGYNs, internists, dermatologists — everyone needs to do their part and ask if their patients have been screened for colon cancer. They should always get a family history as well. For example, my daughters will need to be screened when they turn 31 because the first-line relative of a colon cancer patient needs to be screened 10 years before that person was diagnosed. I’m a big fan of genetic testing, too, because it can help guide what you’re getting screened for and when.
As a co-founder of Stand Up To Cancer, what are the cancer research developments you’re most excited about right now?
Stand Up To Cancer is a nonprofit that funds cancer awareness and research. It’s been incredibly rewarding to be a co-founder; I’m really excited about all the new developments in cancer research today and think there are a lot of promising breakthroughs coming in the near future.
For example, researchers have been able to build on the success of the mRNA vaccine for COVID and are now conducting clinical trials using this technology to develop personalized cancer vaccines.
Immunotherapies, including CAR-T cell therapy, have seen significant improvements and can, in some cases, replace standard treatments. Progress in early-stage detection methods, including non-invasive blood tests, will lead to cancers being found earlier, and new technologies, such as large language models and AI, will help improve all of these approaches — especially early detection and diagnostic accuracy — making new treatments more precise and personalized.
