Kate Micucci, 43, revealed she was diagnosed with lung cancer, in a new TikTok video she shared on December 12, 2023. The Big Bang Theory actress also said she had surgery and everything was “good” because the doctors “caught it early.” She was sitting in a hospital bed when filming the video, and joked that it was a “SickTok.”
“Hey everybody, this is not a TikTok, it’s a ‘Sick Tok,’” she said in the clip. “I’m in the hospital but it’s because I had lung cancer surgery yesterday. They caught it really early.”
@katiemicucci An update on what I’ve been up to. 🫁 #sicktok #hospital #imokay #solucky #sendinglove
“It’s really weird, because I’ve never smoked a cigarette in my life so uh, you know, it was a surprise. But also I guess, also, it happens and so the greatest news is they caught it early, they got it out, I’m all good,” she continued. “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.
Kate went on to say that she can’t wait to get back to painting and ended the video on a funny note. “Why am I still talking … ‘cause I’m on drugs!” she exclaimed while giving a thumbs up.
Find out more about Kate’s health journey below.
Kate Was Diagnosed With Lung Cancer
Kate publicly revealed she was diagnosed with lung cancer in a TikTok video posted on December 12, 2023. When a fan responded to her post and asked if she had any symptoms, she revealed something in her blood work was really high and caused her doctors to do a scan, which helped them find the spot on her lungs.
“I had one thing in my bloodwork that came back really high,” she wrote to the fan while also noting she had high CRP levels, meaning there was a lot of inflammation. “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.”
What Is Lung Cancer?
Lung cancer is a cancer that begins in the lungs. Smokers are at the highest risk for this type of cancer but non-smokers can also get it, according to the Mayo Clinic. The risk of lung cancer increases with the length of time and number of cigarettes you’ve smoked, but if you quit smoking, even after smoking for many years, “you can significantly reduce your chances of developing lung cancer,” the clinic also claims.
Lung cancer is divided into two major types, small cell lung cancer and non-small cell lung cancer. The small cell type occurs almost exclusively in heavy smokers and is less common than the non-small type, according to the clinic. The non-small type is an umbrella term for several types of lung cancers, including squamous cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma and large cell carcinoma.
How Long Has Kate Been Sick?
Kate didn’t reveal when she was diagnosed with lung cancer, but it was most likely around the time she made her December 2023 video, since she was still in the hospital from her surgery.
How Is Kate Doing Today?
Kate revealed her surgery was successful and said the doctors got the cancer out, in her December 2023 video. Although she said she would “probably be moving slow” in the days following her surgery, she revealed doctors caught the cancer early and everything was “good.”