‘If the Symptoms Persist, So Should You’: How Early Cancer Detection Saved Maria Menounos’ Life (EXCLUSIVE)
The host and actress opens up about her cancer diagnosis, the test that saved her and the power of self-advocacy
When it comes to cancer, early detection can make a world of difference. Just ask Maria Menounos, the Emmy-winning TV host and actress who’s also a survivor of pancreatic cancer. After a difficult journey of trying to get a diagnosis for unclear symptoms and having to advocate for herself and her health, Menounos was finally diagnosed with a rare form of pancreatic cancer.
Woman’s World had the opportunity to speak with Menounos, who is teaming up with Cancerguard to spread awareness for a new type of blood test that can screen for up to 50 different types of cancers. Find out more about Menounos’ journey, how early detection saved her life and her determination to advocate for health.
Woman’s World: You’ve had quite the health journey over the past few years. Can you share a bit about that for readers who may not know your whole story?
Maria Menounos: It started in 2016 with my mom being diagnosed with a glioblastoma, which is stage four brain cancer. And within a few months of that, I was having a lot of really bad headaches. I was just coming off of fertility treatments, and I was having random pains, like ear pain and I was slurring my speech at one point. So, I went to the doctor and he said, ‘You don’t have an ear infection. What else are you feeling?’ I’m, like, ‘I know you’re going to think I’m crazy, but I think I have a brain tumor like my mom.’”
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That was right. It was a meningioma, which is not cancerous; it’s benign. We lost her in May 2021 and soon after I started having these pains. Again, I thought it might be stress, but now I was a little smarter. I was doing the different testing that was recommended and everything kept coming back negative. Long story short, it wasn’t until I did some additional testing that we found out that I had a rare form of pancreatic cancer. (Learn the early warning signs of pancreatic cancer.)
At the time, we were a couple months pregnant with a surrogate and it was a terrifying diagnosis, because you hear pancreatic cancer and that never really has a good result. But we were so blessed that we caught it early because of an outside screening.
There aren’t a lot of routine cancer recommended screenings available. So, cancers like mine and others that are really deadly don’t have any screenings. That’s where innovative tests like Cancerguard are so incredibly important, because they can test with a simple blood draw and detect signals from more than 50 cancer types and subtypes.
And a negative result doesn’t mean that you can omit your regular screenings with your doctor. You have to keep doing that. This is complementary. It wasn’t until I did an outside test that I found out I had an almost four-centimeter tumor—it was moving fast.
WW: How can early detection help others who might be going through a similar situation?
Maria Menounos: About 70 percent of cancers don’t have any recommended screenings, and a lot of these really deadly cancers don’t have early symptoms. This Cancerguard test can detect the signals of cancer before symptoms even appear, so now you have a jump on it. That’s why this is so critical. You have to be preventative and, unfortunately, the medical system is set up to take care of you after you’re sick. It’s in our hands to be preventative with additional screenings, with your sleep habits, with your nutrition and your movement, because nobody has time to worry about you like you do.
WW: It seems that women’s symptoms are often overlooked or attributed to something less serious, and it can be hard to advocate for yourself—especially when a doctor is telling you everything is fine. What gave you that courage to keep pushing for answers?
Maria Menounos: We really can’t care what people think, and the problem is that we’re really trained to be last. We’re trained to not matter. And at the end of the day, it’s up to you. We all have to realize that we have more internal guidance than we like to give ourselves credit for. If the symptoms persist, so should you.
Sometimes it’s so hard to stand up to doctors because we’re trained to think that they’re like gods and it’s, like, “No, I’m paying you for a service.” We don’t think about it like that. We are paying you to take care of us, so our input matters. If you need a friend to come advocate for you because you’re a little nervous and you are in a vulnerable state, bring somebody. (Get tips to avoid medical gaslighting here.)
WW: And just to quickly touch on your professional life, I know you are the host of your own podcast, Heal Squad. Is there anything else exciting on the horizon for you professionally?
Maria Menounos: I am very Heal Squad, which is more than enough for me because I really am enjoying being a mom and it’s the greatest thing in the world. I want to soak up every second I can because I am seeing how quickly it goes. I just shot a Christmas movie and she [my daughter] came down with us and we all went and Keven [my husband] directed and wrote the script. So, I’m doing a few things, but I’m really just limiting what I do to what I’m really passionate about.
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