The Bachelorette alum Katie Thurston has revealed she wants to pursue a double mastectomy as she continues to battle breast cancer.
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Katie, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in February 2025, has shared an update on her health after receiving "stable" MRI and PET scan results.
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"While that is a very good thing, it is the first time in a year that my tumor hasn't been shrinking, that it just is stagnant," Katie explained in an Instagram video she posted on February 17.
"[That realization] had me kind of spiraling a little bit."
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But after speaking to her oncologist, Katie said there "are a couple of things" for her to consider.
"In the last four months, I had to take a four-week break and a two-week break from my medication. So that could play a role into why it's showing stable and not shrinking," Katie explained.
"Because, of course, my first thought was, 'The medication's not working anymore, and I have to go to a second line of treatment.' When you're at Stage 4, you're on medication for life until there's improvements in our research."
Katie therefore admitted that when her first line didn't work, it was "scary" for her.
"That's what I thought was happening. When you first start treatment, your body is almost -- not in shock -- but suddenly I'm in menopause, suddenly I'm taking really strong medication," the 35-year-old shared.
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"So, it is common for the tumor to shrink significantly up front and then to kind of slow down that momentum as treatment continues."
Katie confirmed, however, that her tumor has shrunk "by 50 percent" in the last year.
"So that's great news. The PET scan showed no new spread," Katie added. "The short version is: the treatment is still working. I'm still approved to be on this plan."
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But Katie went on to share her "latest update" in her treatment plan.
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"This Friday [February 20], I'm going to be meeting with my surgeon to pursue a double mastectomy," Katie revealed.
"My surgeon has approved it for my situation, and so I'm going to see her in person this Friday and kind of go over things in detail to kind of figure out what that looks like."
Katie acknowledged that's "a very big next step" in her "cancer treatment journey."
When Katie was first diagnosed with cancer around this same time last year, doctors in Los Angeles told The Bachelor 25 alum that her cancer was stage 3 and she needed immediate chemotherapy.
Katie then moved to New York to be with her now-husband Jeff Arcuri -- whom she married in March 2025 -- and receive a second opinion.
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At that point, Katie learned she was actually stage 4, and doctors recommended a clinical trial that included a PET scan. The PET scan showed the cancer had metastasized to her liver.
But in January 2026, Katie revealed that a recent liver MRI showed no sign of cancer, although she wasn't officially "cancer free" yet.
Katie found fame when she competed on Matt James' The Bachelor season.
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She then starred on The Bachelorette's seventeenth season and got engaged to wildlife conservationist Blake Moynes.
Katie's The Bachelorette season ended on ABC in August 2021, and then she and Blake announced their breakup only a couple of months later in October 2021.
Katie then went public with her romance with John Hersey, whom she had eliminated during Week 2 of her The Bachelorette journey, in November 2021. She was accused of moving on from Blake quickly with "a rebound" and emotionally cheating on her ex-fiance.
Katie and John split after less than one year together in June 2022, and Katie expressed on numerous occasions how John dumped her after she had given the relationship everything she had.
After ending her relationship with John, Katie made a cameo on Bachelor in Paradise's ninth season in 2023 and found closure with Blake, who remained her friend post-show.
Katie then she decided to pursue a unique opportunity and look for love on FBoy Island.
Katie had a brief public relationship with FBoy Island's Vince Xu, but Katie announced their breakup in December 2023.
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Katie eventually moved on with Jeff, and she soft launched their relationship in January 2024 while giving dating advice on Instagram.
Katie revealed she was officially dating Jeff in June 2024.
Katie had announced at the time: "Safe to say he's making it to hometowns next week," which was a nod to her prior The Bachelorette stint in 2021.
Jeff proposed marriage to Katie in August 2024 in Hawaii, although Katie didn't announce their engagement until September of that year.
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