Boy Meets World star Danielle Fishel has revealed her breast cancer diagnosis with fans.
The actress is perhaps best known to fans for playing Topanga Lawrence on the teen sitcom Boy Meets World from 1993 to 2000. She later reprised the role for the show's reboot, Girl Meets World, from 2014 to 2017.
Now, on a recent episode of the show's spin-off podcast, Pod Meets World - which she co-hosts with former Boy Meets World co-stars Will Friedle and Rider Strong - she has made an urgent plea to fans following her own diagnosis.
In the episode, the 43-year-old reveals that she was recently diagnosed with DCIS, which stands for ductal carcinoma in situ.
Per Cancer Research UK, DCIS "is an early breast cancer. It means that some cells in the lining of the ducts of the breast tissue have started to turn into cancer cells."
The cells are located inside the breast ducts, but have not started to spread into the surrounding breast tissue.
"I'm going to be fine," Fishel assured her supporters. "I'm having surgery to remove it."
She continued: "I'm going to be on some follow-up treatment. I've had to make a lot of decisions over the last couple of days."
Despite revealing that she was initially cautious about sharing the news, Fishel explained that she felt she needed to use her platform to encourage others to also get their scans.
"The only reason I caught this cancer when it is still stage zero is because the day I got my text message that my yearly mammogram had come up, I made the appointment," the sitcom star said.
More information about mammograms can be found here.Per Cancer Research UK, most people with DCIS show no symptoms, and will not learn of the diagnosis until undergoing a screening.
However, a small number of people may experience the following symptoms: "A lump in the breast, discharge from the nipple which might be blood stained, and/or a rash on the nipple that may be red and scaly."
The American Cancer Society adds that ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) accounts for 1 in 5 new breast cancers. It adds that "nearly all women with this early stage of breast cancer can be cured".
Treatment for DCIS will be recommended by a doctor, and could include having surgery to remove an area of the breast (breast conserving surgery) or the whole breast (mastectomy).
If you or somebody you know is battling cancer, you can find advice, information, and support on the American Cancer Society's website, or you can contact them on 1-800-227-2345 or via their live chat feature.
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