Renowned CNN journalist Christiane Amanpour announced on Thursday that she is once again confronting ovarian cancer, marking the third recurrence of the disease.
The 67-year-old British-Iranian journalist shared the health update during an appearance alongside her medical consultant Dr. Angela George on the “Changing the Ovarian Cancer Story” podcast.
“The cancer has returned, but it is being managed effectively, and this highlights an important aspect about some types of cancer,” she explained during a conversation with host Hannah Vaughan Jones. “Despite having all affected organs removed previously, the cancer reappeared in a lymph node,” she added.
This update comes four years after Amanpour initially disclosed her condition, which led to major surgery followed by nearly five months of chemotherapy.
Her doctor, George, who has overseen Amanpour’s treatment at London’s esteemed Royal Marsden Hospital, known for its pioneering cancer care, explained that Amanpour has a rare form of ovarian cancer, accounting for less than 10% of all cases.
The rarity of her cancer likely facilitated an earlier diagnosis than usual, due to its symptomatic nature.
“Angela informed me about the condition and suggested that I was somewhat fortunate because it presented with pain symptoms,” Amanpour, the acclaimed journalist, remarked. “Many women remain unaware due to the typical absence of symptoms, so I consider myself fortunate in that regard.”
The oncologist noted that most women with ovarian cancer get diagnosed too late because their abdominal symptoms often get misdiagnosed as reflux, indigestion or a urinary tract infection.
“Most women, by the time they get a diagnosis, might have had the cancer for three or four years before it actually gets diagnosed,” George said. “That’s why most of the women that we see are actually diagnosed with late-stage ovarian cancer, because it doesn’t have a lot of specific symptoms that people can pick up on and it does tend to be misdiagnosed for quite a long time.”
Amanpour is now undergoing immunotherapy, which she described as having no side effects and being “the opposite of grueling.” She takes pills each day and gets infusions in the hospital every six weeks.
Amanpour said that her cancer was detected the second and third times due to her routine check-ups every three months.
“The fact that I’m monitored all the time is a superb insurance policy,” she said, encouraging others to listen to their bodies and get regular screenings.
