Fischer said she had a few problems during a routine mammogram, where inconclusive results due to dense tissue led her doctor to order an ultrasound
Aggressive Breast Cancer: Jenna Fischer, who played hugely-popular Pam Beesly in the US Office, has revealed she was diagnosed with an "aggressive" Triple Positive breast cancer in December last year. The 50-year-old shared a photo of herself in her "patchy pixie" haircut to mark breast cancer awareness month.
"After completing surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation I am now cancer-free," she wrote on Instagram. Fischer said she had a few problems during a routine mammogram, where inconclusive results due to dense tissue led her doctor to order an ultrasound. "They found something in my left breast," she said. "A biopsy was ordered. Then, on December 1, 2023, I learned I had Stage 1 Triple Positive Breast Cancer."
According to doctors, triple-positive breast cancer is a treatable form of the disease – which makes up around 10 per cent of female breast cancer cases.
Jenna underwent a lumpectomy
The actress said her cancer is "aggressive... but highly responsive to treatment," and said she underwent a lumpectomy. "Luckily my cancer was caught early, and it hadn't spread," Fischer said, before adding she had 12 rounds of weekly chemotherapy from February and had three weeks of radiation treatment in June. "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."
What is Triple Positive Breast Cancer?
According to the National Institutes of Health, triple-positive breast cancer is a type of breast cancer that tests positive for estrogen receptors, progesterone receptors, and high levels of HER2 protein. Some types of breast cancer cells use estrogen and progesterone as well as a protein called HER2 to grow.
What are estrogen and progesterone receptors?
According to experts, both estrogen and progesterone receptors are proteins found in cells that attach to these hormones that allow the cells to grow. Normal breast cells have these receptors.
For those who are diagnosed with the condition - cancer cells attach themselves to the hormones to grow. If breast cancer cells have estrogen receptors, they are ER-positive. If they have progesterone receptors, they are PR-positive.
What is HER2 protein?
HER2 protein allows breast cancer cells to grow quickly, and so, if breast cancer has a higher amount of this than usual, doctors say the breast cancer is HER2-positive.
How is Triple positive Breast Cancer diagnosed?
Doctors say for the diagnosis of triple-positive breast cancer, a biopsy sample for hormone receptors and HER2 levels is done using an immunohistochemistry test to check cancer cells for estrogen and progesterone receptors. The test uses antibodies to see if they attach to certain substances in cancer cells.
A doctor would also use a fluorescence in situ hybridization or FISH test to check HER2 levels in cancer cells – which is done through a specialized fluorescent dye and DNA to show changes in chromosomes and can also show levels of the HER2 gene.
How is Triple-positive breast cancer treated?
The treatment of triple-positive breast cancer includes using a combination of various treatment methods, which the doctors say vary for each individual case. Most of the patients undergo surgery to remove as much of the cancer as possible – including partial or total breast removal.
Apart from that, some additional treatments to shrink a tumour before surgery or destroy any remaining cancer cells after surgery include chemotherapy, radiation therapy, targeted therapy, and hormone therapy.
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