When she had a second check: Kylie Minogue's breast cancer misdiagnosis

The Australian pop star Kylie Minogue appeared as a guest a few months ago on comedienne Ellen DeGeneres' TV talk show. She had just heard Ellen and her earlier guest, Senator Hillary Clinton, discuss the importance of the early detection of breast cancer. Ellen asked Kylie about her bout with breast cancer two years before.

"Listen, this is an opportunity for me to say something that I have not said before," Kylie said.
"I was misdiagnosed initially. So my message to all of you and everyone at home is, because someone is in a white coat and using big medical instruments doesn't necessarily mean they are right."

The misdiagnosis had happened before she embarked on her Showgirl concert tour. Later, when she had a second check, it was discovered she had breast cancer. She is now in remission.
Ellen DeGeneres also told the audience she had a mammogram and was given the all clear, but then "a couple of weeks later" she found a lump in her breast and had it removed.

Kylie Minogue's advice to women tested for breast cancer: "If you have any doubt, go back again."

Read a story of delayed detection of breast cancer.

The source article appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald of April 8, 2008.