Beyonce's mother Tina Knowles reveals she was diagnosed with breast cancer after missed mammogram

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Tina Knowles spoke about a deeply personal health journey.

The 71-year-old mother of Beyonce and Solange Knowles shared her breast cancer diagnosis and recovery in her new memoir, 'Matriarch'.

She revealed that she missed a mammogram during the Covid-19 pandemic and was later diagnosed with stage 1 breast cancer in July 2024 after delaying her screening for four years.

Tina Knowles reveals diagnosis of two breast tumors

Tina Knowles revealed doctors told her about two cancerous tumors in her breasts.

“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,” wrote Knowles, per US Weekly.

“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,” she added.

“I sat there in a daze, rubbing my neck. I immediately thought of my father, all those times taking him to chemo and how much cancer took from him," she wrote. "I had been through all of this stuff in life getting to be 70 years old, and now I’m gonna get cancer?”

Tina Knowles says she was 'impressed' by Beyonce's care

Tina Knowles had surgery a month after her diagnosis and later declared herself cancer-free.

However, she experienced complications that led to another surgery in September 2024 to remove a hematoma, followed by an infection.

During this time, her daughter, Beyonce, stayed involved in her treatment and recovery process.

“She insisted I put her on speaker during my consult in the exam room with the infectious disease specialist,” Knowles wrote. “The doctor was impressed with her questions; I was impressed by her care.”

Knowles recalled how her eldest daughter responded when she first told her the diagnosis.

“I could already feel her mind racing, focusing on this as a task to tackle with precision. She would find me the top specialist,” she wrote, noting, “my girls became my team.”

Tina Knowles opens up about her decision to share her cancer journey publicly

Opening up about the decision to share her cancer journey publicly, Tina Knowles told People, “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.”

“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,” she said.

“I’m doing great,” she said. “Cancer-free and incredibly blessed that God allowed me to find it early.”

On encouraging other women, she said, “I didn't know that there was a stage 0. I could have caught this at stage 0 if I had not missed my mammogram.”

“I want to show people you can go through that and still be fly,” Knowles added. “I’m healthier, eating better, I lost weight.”

Most importantly, she wants to inspire others with her journey. “I want to give people hope,” she said. “What scares me now is not making the best of every day that I have left in this life.”