Katie Thurston Says Her Breast Cancer Diagnosis Has Changed After Second Opinion: ‘No Chemo’ for Now

• Katie Thurston was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer after the disease spread to her liver
• The Bachelorette said her diagnosis changed after getting a new doctor, and her treatment no longer includes chemotherapy
• The reality star is encouraging others to get a second opinion to make sure their treatment plan is right for them

Katie Thurston is opening up about her new treatment plan for breast cancer.

On April 10, the Bachelorette star, 34 — who announced her initial diagnosis in February — posted a video on Instagram explaining that she no longer needs chemotherapy after getting a second opinion on her health.

“Imagine you are 24 hours away from starting your first chemotherapy treatment, you have a port installed, you have a chemo bag ready to go, and then you get a call from your doctor that says, ‘Hold on,’” she began.

Thurston explained that she was first diagnosed with triple positive stage 3 breast cancer. She then got a second opinion after transferring her care to another hospital. There, she was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer and learned that she also might not be triple positive.

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After a biopsy on her breast, lymph node and liver, doctors confirmed that she’s HER2-negative.

“Why’s this important? Because of the type of cancer I have, this actually allows for an alternative treatment plan. This means no chemo,” she said. “I now have the option to do hormone-blocking therapy instead of chemotherapy.”

“I’ll be taking a drug called Kisqali, which is a targeted oral therapy, Letrozole, which is an anti-estrogen pill, and Zoladex, which is a once-a-month shot that will shut down my ovaries and help reduce estrogen,” she continued. “The current approach that we’re taking is going to give me the best chance at long-term control with less side effects.” 

Thurston told her followers that the one thing to take from her video is to “get a second opinion.”

“Could I need chemo in the future? Maybe,” she added in the caption. “If this treatment stops working or if the cancer grows again, it’s an option we’ll revisit. We will closely monitor the treatment plan and make sure it’s working for my body.” 

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On March 28, Thurston confirmed that her stage 3 breast cancer (invasive ductal carcinoma) diagnosis progressed to stage 4 after signs of the disease were discovered on her liver.

"After days of waiting, unfortunately, I did find out today that my breast cancer has spread to the liver. It is fairly small, however, that does put me at stage four," she shared.

The reality star had been awaiting the results of a liver biopsy after she underwent a PET (Positron Emission Tomography) scan that ended up detecting "some spots on my liver that were a little suspicious." 

Thurston, who noted that it had been 43 days since her initial diagnosis, said she is on a “new treatment plan” that is going to start on April 4, which "does involve chemo."

“I know stage four can sound very scary, and it can be," she admitted. "However… I feel very optimistic on my outcome. I'm very confident in the team at Columbia and I just wanted to share that update."