‘It is very, very, very early’: Danielle Fishel from ‘Boy Meets World’ diagnosed with breast cancer

Danielle Fishel — known for her role as Topanga on “Boy Meets World — has breast cancer.
“So I would like to share something with our listeners. … I was recently diagnosed with DCIS which is a form of breast cancer,” Fishel revealed on an episode of her podcast, “Pod Meets World,” released on Monday.
“It is very, very, very early. It’s technically stage 0. … I was diagnosed with high grade DCIS with micro invasion. And I’m going to be fine. I’m having surgery to remove it,” Fishel continued on the podcast she runs with former “Boy Meets World” castmates Rider Strong and Will Friedle.
After surgery, Fishel will undergo some additional follow-up treatment.
Fishel noted that the “only reason” the cancer was detected at stage 0 is because she stuck to getting her yearly mammogram.
“For some reason I had always thought (if I were diagnosed with cancer) I would suffer in silence. I would get the diagnosis. I would not tell anyone,” she said on the podcast. “I would tell only my small group and then I would just suck it up. And then when I’m on the other side of it then I would tell people.”
“But the place you have the most to learn from is that at the very beginning of a story or in the very messy middle of a story. My first instinct when I was diagnosed was to do that clam up thing … and then what I realized is the more people I talk to, the more people have their own experiences.”
The form of cancer Fishel was diagnosed with, DCIS, known as ductal carcinoma in situ, is a noninvasive form of breast cancer located in the milk ducts of the breast, per Penn Medicine.
DCIS does not typically present the same symptoms associated with breast cancer. It is most commonly detected through a breast cancer screening, such as a mammogram.
“Ductal carcinoma in situ is considered Stage 0. It is the earliest form of breast cancer, in which the cancer cells are still within a duct and have not invaded deeper into the surrounding fatty breast tissue,” per Penn Medicine. “Generally, there are no signs or symptoms of ductal carcinoma in situ.”
Once diagnosed with DCIS, patients can receive a lumpectomy (removal of the tumor from the breast), radiation therapy or a mastectomy if the tumor is large enough to warrant one, per Johns Hopkins Medicine.
Since DCIS is noninvasive, if the tumor is removed and no more cancer is found, chances of a local reoccurrence are low.
Women should begin receiving regular mammograms once they turn 40, and continue to until their mid-70s, recommends the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force. Starting at 40, women should get a mammogram every other year.
Speak with your gynecologist or another physician if you an under 40 about getting a mammogram. Some women, such as those with a family history of breast cancer or a mutation of the BRCA gene are encouraged to begin regular mammograms, per Johns Hopkins.
If you notice a change in your breast tissue, speak to a doctor about getting a breast cancer screening.