‘The Office’ Star Jenna Fischer Reveals ‘Aggressive’ Breast Cancer Diagnosis – National
Actor Jenna Fischer announced that she had received a triple positive diagnosis breast cancer last December and is living “cancer-free” after treatment.
On Tuesday afternoon, Fischer wrote on Instagram that she underwent a lumpectomy to remove a tumor, as well as chemotherapy and radiation to treat her “aggressive” breast cancer.
Triple positive breast cancer is known as a hormone receptor-positive cancer. This means that tumor growth is promoted by hormones such as estrogen, progesterone and a protein called HER2, all of which occur naturally in the body.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Fischer, 50, said she chose to disclose her diagnosis now to “implore” others to get their annual mammogram. She also hoped her revelation would be a “source of support” for anyone currently undergoing treatment for breast cancer.
In her social media post, the sitcom star included a photo of herself with a “patchy pixie” haircut, “looking happy and healthy.”
Fischer said she had a routine mammogram in October 2023 that yielded inconclusive results due to the density of the breast tissue.
Dense breasts put people at increased risk of breast cancer and make the disease more difficult to detect with a standard mammogram. Breasts are made up of fat, glands, and fibrous tissue, but if a person’s breast is made up of 50 percent or more glands and fibrous tissueit is considered dense. It’s not possible to tell if your breasts are dense just by how they look, feel, size or firmness.
At the time of her mammogram, Fischer shared a photo on Instagram reminding women to schedule their own exams.
“I need to take care of these bags of time, ladies,” she wrote, a nod to Michael Scott’s own advice in The office.
Fischer said her doctor ordered a breast ultrasound, during which her medical team discovered something abnormal in her left breast.
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She then underwent a biopsy. On December 1, 2023, Fischer said she learned of her diagnosis of stage 1 triple-positive breast cancer. After her lumpectomy, she said she completed 12 cycles of weekly chemotherapy and then three weeks of radiation therapy.
Fischer said she hid her diagnosis by wearing wigs and “hats with hair” so the public would not know about her hair loss. Giving advice to her followers, Fischer wrote: “You can also ask your doctor to calculate your breast cancer risk assessment score and perform any additional tests required. I’m serious, call your doctor now.
“My tumor was so small that it could not be palpated during a physical exam,” she continued. “If I had waited six more months, things could have been much worse. It could have spread.
Fischer said the cancer diagnosis immediately changed his life, an experience familiar to so many people who have had the disease.
“It all depends on doctor appointments, test results, treatments and recovery after treatments,” she wrote. “Suddenly, everything in your life revolves around one thing: fighting cancer. »
Fischer thanked his doctors, nurses, caregivers and loved ones for their support.
She said her children, aged 10 and 13, were “amazing” and her cancer diagnosis was a “journey” they had taken as a family.
The actor specifically shared his love for Angela Kinsey, who played Angela Martin in The Office, because she “protected me and defended my interests”.
Together, the former co-stars run a podcast called office ladieswhere they rewatch the hit mockumentary sitcom and go behind the scenes of filming.
“For a long time, she was the only person in my workspace who knew,” Fischer said of Kinsey. “When I lost my hair, she wore hats to our work meetings so I wouldn’t be the only one. When I needed a break, we took one.
Closing out her post, Fischer said her husband Lee asked her if she wanted to do something to celebrate after her final chemotherapy and radiation treatments.
“I said I just wanted to ring a bell, with the kids, in our backyard, with everyone throwing confetti,” she wrote. “So, we did it.”
Jenna Fischer celebrated being cancer-free by ringing a bell at a backyard party with her husband, Lee, and their two children.
Instagram @msjennafischer
Fischer said she has since been retested for cancer and has no signs of illness.
“I will continue to be treated and monitored to help me stay that way,” she said.
According to the Canadian Cancer Society, women and trans, non-binary and gender diverse people aged 40 to 74 should have a mammogram every two years.
“Not all provinces or territories offer mammograms through their organized program or by self-referral for people in their 40s,” the organization wrote. “We are campaigning to ensure that women and trans, non-binary and gender diverse people at average risk have equitable and timely access to breast cancer screening, no matter where they live. »
So if you’re due for a mammogram and haven’t yet made an appointment with your doctor, Fischer asked you to consider her own announcement as “your kick in the butt to get there.”
“Take it from Pam and her Pam Pams. Michael was right,” Fischer joked in another reference to The Office. “Have them checked, ladies. And know that if you are diagnosed with breast cancer, there is a village waiting to care for you.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer among Canadian women, with the exception of non-melanoma skin cancer. In Canada, One in eight women are expected to develop breast cancer during their lifetime, and one in 34 people will die from it.
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