Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard

Podbit · Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard

Jackie Tohn Returns

Explore episode Jul 13, 2026
Health & Fitness
The BRCA Diagnosis: From Nodules to 85%

Jackie Tohn Returns · Jul 13, 2026 Health & Fitness

Jackie's father found lumps under his arm that turned out to be metastatic carcinomas of unknown origin. Genetic testing revealed he was BRCA1 positive. When Jackie got tested, she came back positive too — and a genetic counselor put her risk of breast cancer at 85% and ovarian cancer at 65%. The number wasn't paralyzing; it was clarifying.

Where this was said

The BRCA Discovery: Dad's Nodules and a Positive Test

At 11:04 · chapter starts 10:40

The conversation pivots sharply to the core of the episode. Jackie explains that her father found lumps under his arm which her mother refused to call anything more alarming than 'nodules' for months. Once biopsied, they were identified as metastatic carcinomas — but medical teams to this day cannot locate the primary cancer site, making him a 'medical enigma.' His BRCA1 positive test result prompted his oncologists to urge all family members to get tested. Jackie notes the particular relevance for daughters, since men with BRCA often don't manifest breast or ovarian cancer. Dax and Monica observe that Jackie — a self-described hypochondriac — handled this news with surprising composure, and Jackie begins to explain why confronting a real threat felt completely different from anxious anticipation.

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