Danielle Fishel Has Stage 0 DCIS Breast Cancer. An Oncologist Explains What That Means
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Boy Meets World star Danielle Fishel shared some surprising news on a recent episode of her podcast Pod Meets World: She has breast cancer.
The 43-year-old stressed that her cancer was caught “very, very, very early,” adding that she’s going to be okay. Danielle also credited getting a yearly mammogram with helping her cancer to be detected so soon.
Here’s what she’s shared about her experience—and what doctors say you should do during your next appointment.
Meet the expert: Wael Harb, MD, a hematologist and medical oncologist at MemorialCare Cancer Institute at Orange Coast and Saddleback Medical Centers in Orange County, California.
What kind of cancer does Danielle Fishel have?
Danielle shared a lot of details about her breast cancer on the pod. “I was recently diagnosed with DCIS, which stands for ductal carcinoma in situ, which is a form of breast cancer,” she said. “It is very, very, very early. It’s technically stage zero. To be specific, just because I like too much information all the time, I was diagnosed with high-grade DCIS with micro-invasion.”
She also said that the “only reason” her cancer was detected early “is because the day I got my text message that my yearly mammogram had come up, I made the appointment.”
“They found it so, so, so early that I’m going to be fine,” she continued. “I hope it will encourage anyone to get in there.”
What is DCIS?
DCIS is a condition where the cells that line the milk ducts of the breast have become cancer, but they have not spread into surrounding breast tissue, per the American Cancer Society (ACS).
“DCIS is very early stage breast cancer. It’s considered stage zero because it’s not invasive,” says Wael Harb, MD, a hematologist and medical oncologist at MemorialCare Cancer Institute at Orange Coast and Saddleback Medical Centers in Orange County, California.
Harb says that it’s rare for someone to detect a mass with DCIS, so it’s often picked up on mammogram. DCIS is usually treated because some of those cells can go through abnormal changes and become invasive breast cancer, according to the ACS.
What is the prognosis of DCIS?
DCIS is usually treated with breast-conserving surgery or a mastectomy, Harb says. The decision to do so typically depends on the size of the DCIS and where it’s located.
“There are some situations where the DCIS is large and the defect in the breast [from breast-conserving surgery] would not be cosmetically appealing,” Harb says. “Then, we would do mastectomy.” DCIS can also be in several spots, which would also cause doctors to recommend a mastectomy, he says.
If the DCIS is hormone receptor-positive (meaning it's fueled by estrogen, progesterone or both hormones), it may be treated with medication for five years after surgery to lower the risk of another DCIS or invasive cancer developing in either breast, according to ACS.
Overall, Harb says that DCIS has a “very favorable prognosis.” But he also stresses the importance of getting checked so DCIS can be found in the first place.
“Mammograms save lives—this is a prime example,” he says.
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