Over the years, Tina Knowles, the famed mother of superstars Beyonce and Solange’, has been forthcoming about her multiple aspect of her life. She shared her struggles and successes as a business owner and designer, her ups and downs in her divorce, and now she is opening up about her health.
In her new book, “Matriarch: A Memoir,” which was released on April 22, Knowles revealed she was previously diagnosed with breast cancer. Knowles said she learned of her diagnosis at a mammogram appointment that had been put off for years.
“My doctor told me I had breast cancer. A small tumor in my left breast that was cancerous; the larger tumor in my right breast was benign, but it would also have to go,” she wrote in her memoir.
“I struggled with whether I would share that journey [in the book] because I’m very private. But I decided to share it because I think it’s a lot of lessons in it for other women,” she says. “And I think as women, sometimes we get so busy and we get so wrapped up and running around, but you must go get your test. Because if I had not gotten my test early, I mean, I shudder to think what could have happened to me.”
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Tina admitted that she herself got tied up in the busyness of life and had missed getting her scheduled mammogram. “I forgot that I didn’t go to get my test two years before I thought I had,” she says, “because Covid came and they called me and canceled me and they said, we’ll call you when we start testing again. And I just thought I had done it. So you cannot play around with that.”
“She said I was Stage 1A, assuring me my prognosis was good. The next step was to talk to an oncologist and a breast surgeon. ‘We feel like we got this super early,’ she said. ‘You’re going to be fine,'” Knowles continued.
What Is Stage 1A Breast Cancer?
Stage 1A breast cancer is the earliest stage of invasive breast cancer, characterized by a tumor that is 2 centimeters (cm) or smaller and has not spread to the lymph nodes. It’s considered early-stage and has a very good prognosis, with a five-year survival rate of 99%. Treatment typically involves surgery, followed by radiation therapy, and potentially chemotherapy or hormone therapy.
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Conversely, Stage 1B breast cancer can be explained that while the tumor is still small (2 cm or less), cancer cells may be found in the sentinel lymph node (the first lymph node to which cancer is likely to spread).
Treatment:
- Surgery: Lumpectomy (removing the tumor and a small amount of surrounding tissue) or mastectomy (removing the entire breast).
- Radiation: Often given after surgery to reduce the risk of recurrence.
- Systemic Therapy: Chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, or targeted therapies may be considered depending on the specific characteristics of the cancer and the patient’s individual risk factors.
Prognosis:
Stage 1A breast cancer has an excellent prognosis. The five-year survival rate is very high, with many patients living long, healthy lives.
Early detection through regular screenings (like mammograms) is crucial for diagnosing breast cancer at an early stage like 1A when it is most treatable.
What Happened When She Told Beyonce?
Knowles said she hesitated telling Beyoncé about her diagnosis at night because she knew her daughter “wouldn’t be able to sleep” so she waited until the day to share the news.
“She took it well, staying positive, and I could already feel her mind racing, focusing on this as a task to tackle with precision,” she said of how Beyoncé reacted to her breast cancer diagnosis.
“She would find me the top specialist, and I distinctly remember her telling me, ‘I want you to get a second opinion on whatever the course of treatment is,'” Knowles added.
Knowles explained that her daughter “lined up one of the top breast surgery specialists in the country” for her to get a private consult. She recalled liking the private-practice breast surgeon’s “energy” immediately. A few days later, she met with a hospital surgeon and then a hospital oncologist, who “wasn’t receptive” to any of her questions and she made her feel “depressed and confused.”
Black Women and Breast Cancer: What’s the Connection?
Tina is not alone in this breast cancer journey. In fact, Black women are now 41% more likely to die from breast cancer than white women, despite a lower risk of being diagnosed with the disease. This is partly because Black women are more likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer at a later stage when it is harder to treat.
But Black women have lower survival rates for every stage of breast cancer diagnosis. Many complex factors contribute to this gap in care outcomes ― many of which are fueled by systemic racism that limits access to high-quality cancer treatment.
Black women are also disproportionately affected by more aggressive subtypes, such as triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) and inflammatory breast cancer, and they are more likely to be diagnosed at younger ages and at more advanced stages of the disease.
“These findings underscore a stark reality in our healthcare system: Black women are facing higher risks of death from breast cancer compared to their white counterparts, across all types of the disease. This disparity isn’t just about biology,” said Paulette Chandler, MD, MPH, associate epidemiologist in the Division of Preventive Medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a founding member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system. “It’s a call to action for healthcare providers, policymakers, and communities alike to confront these inequities head-on and strive for meaningful change in breast cancer outcomes.”
Because hormone-negative tumors are less common, Warner says that racial disparities in breast cancer survival for hormone-negative subtypes were likely not observed previously because individual studies lacked statistical power due to the small number of cases.
“There may also be differences in the biological characteristics of some tumor subtypes between racial groups that our therapies are not attuned to, potentially because of underrepresentation of Black women in clinical trials,” said Warner.
Her Ex-Husband Had Breast Cancer
Matthew Knowles, Tina’s ex-husband, record executive, and father to Beyoncé and Solange, also had his own battle with breast cancer.
In 2019, he announced on ‘Good Morning America’ that he’d been diagnosed with Stage 1A breast cancer. After this diagnosis, he did surgery to remove the affected breast and carried out genetic tests. These tests revealed that he had the BRCA2 gene mutation that increased his risk of developing breast cancer. When writing about his experience a year later, Knowles noted that he would have handled his health differently if he’d known more about breast cancer in men.
“As a male breast/chest cancer survivor, I’ve learned one word…gratitude!”, exclaims Matthew on social media. “I hope each and every one of you appreciate the beauty of life and live each day to the fullest.”
“I remain especially grateful to my wife Gena, who was my rock throughout my cancer journey and remains my rock day in and day out…I want to send a message of hope and love to those who are suffering from this terrible disease.”
“You are strong, you are powerful, and you are a survivor.”
How is Tina Doing Now?
These days, “I’m healthier, eating better, I lost weight,” she says.
Most importantly, the grandmother of four sees herself as an example of what’s possible.
“I want to give people hope,” Knowles adds. “What scares me now is not making the best of every day that I have left in this life.”
