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‘Boy Meets World’ actress Danielle Fishel is urging other women to get mammograms after announcing she has breast cancer.
The 43-year-old Arizona woman shared on her podcast that she had ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), a type of breast cancer that affects the milk ducts.
The disease is at stage 0, has not spread to other parts of her body and will be treated with surgery. Fishel is expected to have a good prognosis.
But the mother of two says the cancer, which caused no symptoms, would not have been discovered if she had not gone for a mammogram appointment.
Fishel has hosted Pod Meets World since 2022 with Will Friedle and Rider Strong, her former Boy Meets World co-stars; pictured in 2022
The graph above shows the difference between ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) and invasive breast cancer
Fishel said, “The only reason I found out about this cancer when it was stage 0 is because the day I got my text that my annual mammogram was due, I made an appointment… and they found it so, so, so early that I’m going to be OK.
“When it’s time for your appointment, if you’ve never had an appointment before, go. If you have to find out that you have cancer, find out when it’s stage 0, if possible.”
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) — which sets testing guidelines — says all women should be screened for breast cancer with a mammogram (an imaging test of the breast) once a year starting at age 40. The American Cancer Society says women should be screened annually from ages 45 to 54.
Mammograms can detect breast cancers at an early stage, when they can still be treated effectively.
If cancer is discovered later, it is more likely to spread to other parts of the body and become more difficult to treat.
Below, DailyMail.com explains what DCIS is and how it is treated:
What is ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS)?
This is a form of breast cancer that originates in the cells lining the milk ducts.
It can occur in one or more milk ducts and is caused by cells mutating and dividing uncontrollably.
Normally, the diagnosis is made with the help of a mammogram, which shows calcium deposits in the milk ducts of the breasts, which can indicate cancer.
Until the cancer begins to spread, it is called DCIS. “Situ” means “stays in place.” If the disease spreads, it is called invasive breast cancer.
Approximately 56,000 people are diagnosed with DCIS each year, on average around the age of 54.
It is the cause of one in five breast cancer diagnoses.
What are the warning signs?
The Mayo Clinic says online: “DCIS usually does not cause symptoms. It is usually only detected on a mammogram.”
If no symptoms occur, DCIS may be overlooked until the disease has spread to other parts of the body and becomes more difficult to treat.
In some cases, bumps or discharge from the nipple may develop, prompting a person to consult a doctor.
In most cases, however, it can only be detected through a mammogram, where it appears as a small group of white spots.
Are you likely to die from DCIS?
According to the American Cancer Society, almost all women diagnosed with the disease can be cured.
This is because the cancer has not yet spread to other organs in the body and can be treated with surgery to remove the disease.
Patients may undergo breast-conserving surgery with radiation therapy, where the cancerous area of the breast is removed and treated with radiation therapy to fight any remaining cancer cells.
In cases where the cancer is in multiple milk ducts, patients may be offered a mastectomy, where the breasts are removed to stop the cancer.
Chemotherapy is generally not offered to patients after surgery.
Statistics show that approximately 98 percent of patients live longer than five years after diagnosis.
In only five to fifteen percent of patients does the cancer return after treatment.
If someone undergoes a mastectomy, the chance of the cancer returning is less than two percent.
How do you prevent the disease?
According to experts, the best way to prevent DCIS from getting worse is to keep up with your mammogram schedule.
Statistics show that one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer at some point in their lives. Thanks to six-monthly check-ups, cancer can be detected early.
Dr. Bonnie Sun, a breast surgeon at Johns Hopkins Medicine in Maryland, says, “Get your mammograms early.
‘Mammograms themselves do not prevent DCIS, but they can detect it early. Early detection can mean better outcomes with less treatment.’
