Busy Philipps Found Out She Had Brain Cancer the Day After James Van Der Beek Died

On the day following the passing of her former Dawson's Creek co-star, James Van Der Beek, who succumbed to colorectal cancer, Busy Philipps made a startling discovery of her own when she booked a full-body MRI. The scan revealed a brain tumor. In a recent interview with PEOPLE, the self-proclaimed "luckiest girl in the world" shared her inspiring six-month battle with brain cancer.

Upon further consultation with her neurosurgeon, Philipps learned that she had been diagnosed with grade 2 oligodendroglioma, a rare and slow-growing tumor with a 75-85% five-year survival rate. It was fortunate for Philipps that she caught the cancer early, before any noticeable symptoms presented themselves. She explained that she had no particular reason for wanting the scan other than her inclination to do so.

Philipps underwent successful surgery in early March and currently feels no apprehension about the possibility of recurrence. Full-body MRIs have been a topic of controversy due to their high false-negative rates, which can result in costly expenses for consumers. According to the Cleveland Clinic, approximately 90% of individuals find something during such scans, but 95% of these findings are deemed harmless, such as cysts, nodules, or other changes that do not impact overall health.

Although harmless physically, these results can be financially burdensome, with many people exhausting their insurance's maximum out-of-pocket expenses on follow-up scans to rule out cancer. Even medical professionals do not unanimously agree on whether full-body MRIs do more harm than good. Philipps points out that her primary care doctor initially advised against the full-body MRI, while a family doctor encouraged her, stating, "Knowledge is power."

Now, Philipps agrees, "There's nothing to be afraid of in having information; it's only empowering."