Jenna Fischer Shares Breast Cancer Journey, Urges Women to Prioritize Annual Mammograms

The actress revealed she was diagnosed with Stage 1 triple-positive breast cancer last December and is now cancer-free.

Jenna Fischer / Eric McCandless/Getty Images

Actress Jenna Fischer has revealed that she was diagnosed with breast cancer last December. In an Instagram post on Tuesday, The Office star detailed her journey, including her diagnosis and treatment, up until ultimately being declared cancer-free.

Following a routine mammogram and a breast ultrasound, Fischer learned she had Stage 1 triple-positive breast cancer, “an aggressive form of breast cancer [that is] highly responsive to treatment,” she noted. Fischer had a lumpectomy to remove the cancerous tumor in January of this year, followed by 12 rounds of chemotherapy in February and three weeks of radiation in June.

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A post shared by Jenna Fischer (@msjennafischer)

The Mean Girls actress revealed that she is currently cancer-free and “feeling great,” and chose to share her story in the hopes of encouraging other women to get checked.

“[I] implore you to get your annual mamograms,” Fischer wrote. “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 doctor right now. My tumor was so small it could not be felt on a physical exam. 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.”

Along with sharing her story, Fischer thanked her support system, including her husband, Lee Kirk, her children, and best friend and former costar Angela Kinsey. Plenty of her 3.9 million Instagram followers chimed into the comments section to thank Fischer for courageously opening up about her experience.

“Sending you so much love!!” SI Swimsuit legend Brooklyn Decker wrote. “You’re helping so many by sharing your story. Generous and brave ❤️.”

“You already know how much I love you and how incredibly proud of you I am,” Olivia Munn, a breast cancer survivor herself, added. “But I just want to say it again; I love you and by sharing your story you’re helping so many women and saving so many lives. You’re just the best. 💖💖💖💖.”

“I love you and I’m so glad you're sharing,” Kinsey stated. “I got your back, always. ❤️.”

“Thank you for sharing with us. Because of this I followed up after my mammogram because I too have dense tissue - I asked for more testing. 💙,” one user shared.