10 Celebrities Who Have Battled Breast Cancer

According to the National Cancer Institute, there are approximately 230,000 new cases of breast cancer in women each year. Celebrities aren’t immune. Many celebrities have fought — and have beaten — breast cancer, and many use their status to raise awareness about the disease.

Here are 10 celebrities who have gone to battle.

Giuliana Rancic

According to CBS News, Giuliana Rancic announced her diagnosis in 2008 on the “Today” show. While undergoing IVF treatments at age 36, her doctor recommended she get a mammogram that revealed breast cancer.

Christina Applegate

In 2008, at the age of 36, Christina Applegate was diagnosed with breast cancer in her left breast. She told CNN that she is the daughter of a breast cancer survivor and had regular mammograms beginning at age 30, but the cancer wasn’t detected until she had an MRI in 2007.

Kathy Bates

Kathy Bates told People magazine that doctors discovered cancer in her left breast in 2012, which led to a double mastectomy. She says breast cancer “runs like a river” through her family; her mother and niece were diagnosed, and an aunt died as a result of breast cancer.

Hoda Kotb

Hoda Kotb was diagnosed at the age of 43 in 2007, after her doctor discovered a lump on her breast. According to Cancer Connect, she credits her friends and family for helping her find a top-notch medical team.

Shannen Doherty

In March of 2015, Shannen Doherty was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 44. Two years later, she was in remission.

Sheryl Crow

Sheryl Crow learned she had breast cancer in 2006 at 44. Doctors caught the cancer at an early stage, and she opted for a lumpectomy and radiation to treat her cancer.

Melissa Etheridge

Melissa Etheridge received her diagnosis of stage 3 breast cancer in 2004, at age 43, after finding a lump on her breast in the shower. Her parents, grandparents, aunt and cousin had previously been diagnosed with cancer, according to AARP.

Olivia Newton-John

Olivia Newton-John was diagnosed in 1992 at the age of 43, the same weekend her father died of cancer. She opted for a partial mastectomy and breast reconstruction to eradicate her cancer.

The cancer returned 21 years later, in 2013, this time cropping up in her shoulder. This made it stage IV breast cancer, and Newton-John underwent treatment again.

It returned a third time in 2017, this time in her spine. She is still living with the disease and undergoing treatment.

Wanda Sykes

After a breast reduction surgery in 2011, comedian Wanda Sykes learned she had DCIS (ductal carcinoma in situ), a non-invasive form of breast cancer. She returned to the stage a month later and credits her speedy recovery to the support of her friends and family.

Carly Simon

At the age of 52, singer Carly Simon was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1998. She opted for a mastectomy, had reconstructive breast surgery and received chemotherapy, just to be safe.