‘The Office’ Star Jenna Fischer Shares Breast Cancer Diagnosis
Jenna Fischer shared on social media Tuesday that she was diagnosed with breast cancer last year.
The Office star detailed her experience undergoing treatment and credited her friends, family, and healthcare professionals for supporting her. She said that after “completing surgery, chemotherapy and radiation” she is now “cancer free.”
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In her Instagram post, Fischer encouraged other women to get their annual mammograms, citing how her own routine check helped save her life. “Back in October of 2023, I posted a photo of myself on Instagram preparing for my routine mammogram with a joking reminder to ‘take care of your ticking time bags,’ a la Michael Scott,” said Fischer, 50, a reference to Steve Carell’s character on the show. “After inconclusive results on that mammogram due to dense breast tissue, my doctor ordered a breast ultrasound. They found something in my left breast. A biopsy was ordered. Then, on Dec. 1, 2023, I learned I had Stage 1 Triple Positive Breast Cancer.”
The actress said that while she had an “aggressive form” of breast cancer, it was highly responsive to treatment and that she a lumpectomy to remove the tumor, followed by chemotherapy and radiation “to be sure it didn’t return.” She added that in February, she began 12 rounds of weekly chemotherapy and in June, started three weeks of radiation. “While I continue to be treated with infusions of Herceptin and a daily dose of Tamoxifen, I’m happy to say I’m feeling great,” she said. “It takes a village to fight cancer, and I have had an amazing village.”
“I’m making this announcement for a few reasons. One, I’m ready to ditch the wigs. Two, to implore you to get your annual mammograms,” she explained. “You can also ask your doctor to calculate your breast cancer risk assessment score and get any additional screenings required. I’m serious, call your doctors right now. If I had waited six months longer, things could have been much worse. It could have spread. Seeing women post photos of their mammogram appointments on Instagram needled me into setting my own (which I was late for). I’m so glad I did. Consider this your kick in the butt to get it done.”
Fisher thanked her husband Lee Kirk for being by her side through “surgery chemotherapy, doctor appointments, late night ugly cries,” adding, “He was there for it all.” She said that together with their children, ages 10 and 13, they “took this journey as a family.” The actress also thanked fellow Office alum, Office Ladies podcast colleague, and best friend Angela Kinsey who “protected me and advocated for me.”
“I’m happy to say that I was recently re-screened, and the treatments worked. I am cancer free. I will continue to be treated and monitored to help me stay that way,” Fischer concluded. “Again, don’t skip your mammogram…. And know that should you get a breast cancer diagnosis, there is a village waiting to care for you.”
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