What is Ductal carcinoma in situ? Danielle Fishel says she is done with her cancer treatment but is dealing with painful side effects

Danielle Fishel, star actress in Boy Meets World, recently opened up about her experience with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), a non-invasive breast cancer. While celebrating the completion of her treatment, she revealed that she was dealing with painful side effects from radiation therapy.

Ductal Carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is a noninvasive form of breast cancer in which abnormal cells are limited to the milk ducts and have not migrated to the surrounding tissues. Routine mammography is used to identify DCIS. DCIS has a high treatment success rate when diagnosed early. Regular testing is important as symptoms are minimal or absent.

The actress known for playing Topanga in Boy Meets World and its sequel Girl Meets World, in the month of August last year, revealed that she had breast cancer. She told the whole world that:

“It is very, very, very early. It’s technically stage zero. To be specific, I was diagnosed with high-grade DCIS with micro-invasion. And I’m going to be fine. I’m having surgery to remove it. 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.”

The actress revealed on her podcast, Pod Meets World, on January 13, 2025, which she co-hosts with her co-stars from Boy Meets World, Rider Strong, and Will Friedle, that she was ‘officially done’ with cancer treatment. She revealed:

“I am officially done with radiation...officially done with what is considered active cancer treatment.”

She shared that she had to go through 15 rounds of “whole breast radiation” and 5 rounds of "targeted radiation," which focused on the area affected by cancer. The treatment process left her dealing with a lot of painful side effects.

She shared on her podcast that she has a bad sunburn and rash on top of it, and it itches very much, and touching it hurts more. She mentioned that it's extremely painful and can even bring her to tears.

"It hurts to wear a bra, it hurts to not wear a bra. It hurts to sleep on my side, it hurts to sleep period. It hurts to be awake. It hurts to live right now. But, you know what, it's not going to last forever. Physically, every day now I'm supposed to be getting better."

Fishel urged her followers to undergo yearly mammograms, emphasizing that this is how her cancer was discovered so early.

"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…They found it so, so, so early that I'm going to be fine. And so I want to share this because I hope that it will encourage anyone to get in there."

Life beyond cancer: More about Fishel's recovery and life

Danielle Fishel noted that she is getting better every day with doctors telling her that she'll be better in two to three months. The 43-year-old actress has been working out and has been increasing her water intake to reduce the pain. She joked about it, saying:

"I'm sorry, you want me to be tired and take care of myself?"

The actress has been following her doctors' advice as working out and drinking water can help remove the damage received from the radiation. She also revealed that after she heals completely, she'll begin taking Tamoxifen, a hormone treatment.

She mentioned the doctors didn't want to overload her with negative side effects and that radiation was relatively easy.

Fishel's husband, Jensen Karp, has been providing her unwavering support throughout her battle with cancer. Married since 2018, the pair share two kids, Adler, age five, and Keaton, age three.

Karp, on his social media, mentioned that:

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“She’s the strongest person I’ve ever met. She’s got this.”

after Fishel had revealed the news to the whole world back in August last year.

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