Actress Kate Micucci dropped a bombshell on TikTok Saturday announcing her lung cancer diagnosis. The 43-year-old "Big Bang Theory" star said she had the disease despite not being a tobacco user.
The "Raising Hope" actress spoke to fans on TikTok from her hospital bed. Micucci underwent surgery to treat the cancer and shared that her prognosis is hopeful.
"Hey, everybody. This is not a TikTok, it's a SickTok," Micucci, half of the comedic folk duo "Garfunkel & Oates." quipped.
"I'm in a hospital. It's because I had lung cancer surgery yesterday," Micucci added.
"They caught it really early. It's pretty weird because I've never smoked a cigarette in my life," she shared.
"But it's been a little bit of a trip, and I'll probably be moving slow for a few weeks, but then I'll be back at it," Micucci said. She said she will take a break from acting to recover and is happy to return to her painting hobby again.
"Why am I still talking? Because I'm on drugs," Micucci said, keeping her serious message lighthearted.
The video showed the "Scooby Doo" actress walking down a hospital hall while pushing her IV pole. "I gotta say, the artwork here is pretty nice," Micucci added.
Although lung cancer is most closely associated with cigarette smoking, it's not unheard of for people who have never smoked to develop the disease. As many as 20% of lung cancer cases are from people who have either smoked very little or not at all.
However, that amounts to about 20,000 to 40,000 cases a year to people without a tobacco use history. Some causes of non-smokers developing lung cancer include second-hand smoke from living with a tobacco user, radon exposure, and inhaling other pollutants.
The good news for Micucci is that early detection often equates to positive outcomes for cancer patients. A study published by the National Institutes of Health found that the 5-year survival rate for those with small and early-stage tumors was between 70–90% when caught before it spreads.
Micucci explained that her cancer was found with a routine blood test. "I had one thing in my bloodwork that came back really high," she said in the comments section of her social media post.
"So I went to a preventative doc who did a few scans. He scanned my heart, and that's where the spot in my lung was noticed," Micucci, wife of musician Jake Sinclair and mother of one, said.
It's unfortunate to receive such a devastating diagnosis at a relatively young age. However, Micucci is a fighter and is already receiving care and the prayers of her supporters.
