Olivia Munn did everything she knew to be proactive about breast cancer screening. Her mammogram, ultrasound, and testing for a cancer gene mutation all came back negative.
Her OB/GYN in Beverley Hills, Dr. Thaïs Aliabadi, just had one question: Did she know her lifetime risk assessment score?
After they did the two-minute test together, which assesses factors like family history and the date of your first period, Munn learned she had a 37% risk of breast cancer. She sought out an MRI — a more effective screening tool for women who, like her, have higher breast density.
"I remember the radiologist said, 'Why are you here? You're too young to be getting an MRI,'" Munn, 45, said in a live recording of the "SHE MD" podcast with Aliabadi. Munn said the doctor was "so surprised" she knew about the lifetime risk assessment.
Munn was diagnosed with stage 1 breast cancer at 43 and underwent a double mastectomy. The same assessment led to her mother, Kim Munn, also being diagnosed with and treated for stage 1 breast cancer in July 2025.
The experience taught Munn that there's no such thing as being too safe when it comes to cancer screenings.
"Cancer wants us to be too busy," she said. "You want to stop it when it's in your yard. You don't want to stop it at your door…and you definitely don't want to wait until it's hovering over your bed."
Take the short test if you're over 25
There are a few different models of the breast cancer lifetime risk assessment, both of which take minutes to complete. The Gail model asks eight basic questions, including the patient's age, race, and family history. The Tyrer-Cuzick model goes a little more in-depth, asking about any ovarian cancer history or hormone-replacement therapy usage.
In 2023, the American College of Radiology lowered the recommended lifetime risk assessment screening age to 25 and up. While the annual breast cancer screening age is 45, those who score 20% and up in the assessment are encouraged to speak to their doctors and get screened sooner. Some, like Munn and her mother, might also undergo more detailed testing, such as getting an MRI — a step that might be skipped without the assessment.
"You need to know it the same way you need to know what your blood pressure is, what your blood sugar level is," Munn said. "It's just something very standard."
