Beyoncé’s Mother Reveals Breast Cancer Diagnosis

In her new book, “Matriarch: A Memoir,” Beyoncé’s mother, Tina Knowles, reveals she was previously diagnosed with breast cancer.  

The 71-year-old was diagnosed with stage 1 breast cancer in her left breast after a delayed mammogram appointment. She was informed that had she kept up with regular screenings, detection may have occurred at stage 0.  

“I’ve always tried to take care of myself. I just … was in disbelief,” she said in an interview.  

Knowles says she missed her routine screening during the COVID-19 pandemic and didn’t reschedule until last year.  

Stage 0 breast cancer, or ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), is a noninvasive type of breast cancer that occurs when abnormal cells develop in the lining of a breast duct, a thin tube that carries milk from the breast’s glandular tissue to the nipple.  

Hatem Soliman, MD

“Because stage 0 breast cancer has not spread extensively through the breast, it has a very high rate of survival with local therapies like surgery and radiation,” said Hatem Soliman, MD, a medical oncologist in the Breast Oncology Department at Moffitt Cancer Center. “Occasionally some women with stage 0 breast cancer are prescribed anti-estrogen medications to reduce the risk of another breast cancer occurring in the future if they elect to undergo breast conserving therapies like a lumpectomy with radiation.”  

Knowles’ stage 1 breast cancer means her invasive breast tumor was deemed low risk by molecular testing or that the tumor was less than 2 centimeters and did not involve lymph nodes. She underwent a lumpectomy in August and is now cancer free. 

Moffitt experts say this is another opportunity to stress the importance of annual screening.  

“Regular breast cancer screening remains one of our best tools to detect breast cancers while they are early stage and most curable with our current therapies,” Soliman said. “We recommend average-risk women to start annual mammogram screening at age 40 per American Cancer Society guidelines. High risk patients, such as BRCA gene mutation carriers and those with prior chest wall radiation for lymphoma, may require earlier screening with additional modalities. Discuss your breast cancer screening needs with your health care provider.”