Olivia Munn’s Breast Cancer Risk Assessment – What It Is and What It Means for You

Jennifer Thompson, MS, CGC
Jun 11
5 min read

The other night, I was on the phone with my mom when she brought up a segment she’d just seen on Meet the Press.

“Did you hear Olivia Munn had breast cancer?” she asked. “She said a free test showed she was high risk, and that’s how they found it.”

My mom knows what I do – I’m a genetic counselor – so of course this piqued her interest. But she had one big question:

“What was that test she took?”

It turns out Olivia Munn was referring to something she called a Lifetime Risk Assessment, which helped identify her as high-risk and led to an MRI that ultimately detected her breast cancer early.

If my mom didn’t know what that test was, I realized that lots of other women might be wondering the same thing.

So in this post, we’re going to break it all down:

What Olivia Munn’s “lifetime risk assessment” really is
How it works – and what it can and can’t tell you
How does it compare to genetic testing and genetic counseling?
And how to know what kind of breast cancer risk assessment is right for you

Let’s get into it.

What Is the “Lifetime Risk Assessment” Olivia Munn Took?

In her Meet the Press interview, Olivia Munn shared that her doctor recommended a breast cancer risk assessment. Her results came back showing she had a 37% lifetime risk of developing breast cancer – much higher than average. Based on that number, her doctor ordered a breast MRI, which detected her cancer.

The tool she likely used is called the Tyrer-Cuzick model (also known as IBIS).

What does the Tyrer-Cuzick model do?

It estimates your lifetime risk of developing breast cancer using information like:

Your age
Height and weight
Age at first period and menopause
Whether you’ve had children
Personal history of benign breast conditions
And a partial family history of breast and ovarian cancer

You plug in your info, and the model gives you a percentage estimate of your lifetime breast cancer risk.

For example:

👉 The average woman has about a 12% lifetime risk of developing breast cancer.👉 If your score is 20% or higher, the guidelines recommend adding yearly breast MRIs to your screening plan – along with mammograms.

Breast MRIs are more sensitive than mammograms, meaning they can detect cancers earlier in high-risk individuals. But they also have a higher false positive rate – when something abnormal was found, but it turned out to be harmless after more tests. That’s why MRIs are typically reserved for people with elevated risk.

The Tyrer-Cuzick Model is a powerful tool. But it’s not the whole story.

Things to know about the Tyrer-Cuzick Model

Risk models are helpful, but no model is perfect. Here’s what to keep in mind:

It’s an estimate, not a prediction. It can’t tell you if you will or won’t get breast cancer.
It may overestimate or underestimate your risk.
It doesn’t capture all risk factors, like diet, exercise, or lifestyle.
It only looks at breast cancer, not your risk for ovarian, colon, or other types.
It only partially accounts for family history. For example, it doesn’t ask about cancers beyond breast or ovarian.
It was developed based on mostly white European populations, so it may not be as accurate for people of other ancestries.

So while it’s a useful tool, it’s not a full picture – especially if you have a family history of multiple types of cancer or are wondering about your inherited risk.

How Genetic Testing Identifies Inherited Risk

While Tyrer-Cuzick looks at your risk factors, genetic testing looks directly at your DNA to find inherited gene mutations that increase your cancer risk.

This is how people find out they have a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation – the same genes that were made widely known by Angelina Jolie, and that can raise your breast cancer risk to as high as 72% and increase your risk for certain other cancers as well.

But BRCA genes are just the beginning. Today’s genetic panels can also look at mutations in dozens of other genes linked to cancers like:

Ovarian cancer
Uterine cancer
Colon and rectal cancers
Pancreatic cancer
Prostate cancer
Melanoma
Kidney, thyroid, and more

Why does this matter?

Because:

Most people who carry these mutations don’t know it.
You can’t tell just by family history. Studies have shown that between 25-50% of people with an inherited mutation don’t have a “strong” family history.
Knowing your genetic risk gives you options for earlier screening, more frequent monitoring, and even risk-reducing strategies

Genetic testing gives you a clearer picture of your inherited cancer risk – identifying gene mutations you may have been born with. Risk models like Tyrer-Cuzick help us understand how other factors impact your overall breast cancer risk. But the most complete picture comes when both are used together – in the context of a full genetic counseling assessment.

Genetic Counseling: The Piece That Puts It All Together

This is where we come in.

As genetic counselors, we’re trained to look at your personal health history, your full family history, and any available test results or models – like Tyrer-Cuzick – and interpret them together.

We can help answer:

Should I get genetic testing?
What kind of testing makes the most sense?
Should I be getting MRIs? When should I start screening?
Am I missing something in my family history?

At HealthyGene, we offer a 30-minute Genetic Check-Up designed to answer those questions. It includes:

An in-depth review of your personal and family history
An assessment of your cancer risk (using tools like Tyrer-Cuzick when appropriate)
A clear, expert recommendation on next steps – from testing to screening

It’s designed for women who want proactive, preventive care – and who want to feel confident they’re not missing something important.

Not Sure If Genetic Counseling Is Right for You?

That’s exactly why we created the Know Your Risk Quiz.

It’s a free, 5-minute quiz that helps you understand if your personal and family history might point to inherited cancer risk – across multiple types of cancer, not just breast.

While the Tyrer-Cuzick model is designed to estimate your overall risk for breast cancer, our quiz focuses on your inherited risk across multiple cancer types.

It's a great first step – especially if you’re wondering whether genetic counseling or testing is something you should explore.

It’s private, quick, and gives you immediate next steps.

Take the Quiz Now