Jenna Fischer says she is cancer-free after battling breast cancer

Actress Jenna Fischer announced that she is now cancer-free after battling stage 1 triple-positive breast cancer.

The 50-year-old actress shared the news in an Instagram post on Tuesday, in which she revealed the diagnosis, detailed her battle with the disease and thanked those who supported her during her recovery.

“Last December I was diagnosed with stage 1 triple positive breast cancer. After completing surgery, chemotherapy and radiation, I am now cancer free,” Fischer wrote in the caption of the post, which was shared alongside a smiling photo of her. She thanked her “Office” co-star Angela Kinsey's husband, Josh Snyder, for taking the photo.

Fischer began her post by explaining the circumstances of her diagnosis in 2023, after previously posting about her upcoming mammogram.

“In October 2023, I posted a photo on Instagram of myself preparing for my routine mammogram with a joking reminder to 'watch the ticking time bags' a la Michael Scott,” she wrote.

“After the results of this mammogram were inconclusive due to the dense breast tissue, my doctor ordered a breast ultrasound. They found something in my left breast. A biopsy was ordered. Then, on December 1, 2023, I learned that I had stage 1 triple-positive breast cancer,” she wrote. Fischer described the diagnosis as “an aggressive form of breast cancer” that “responds very well to treatment.”

Fischer said in January that she had a lumpectomy to remove the tumor that was found. Although the cancer had not spread, she said that due to its aggressive nature, “chemotherapy and radiation were still required to ensure it did not return.”

Fischer announced in February that she had begun 12 weeks of chemotherapy and three weeks of radiation. She also shared that she's “feeling great” while still taking “Herceptin infusions and a daily dose of tamoxifen.”

The “The Office” star shared that she hasn't been able to reveal her diagnosis to the public because of her wigs. She said the reason she announced the news now was because she was “ready to give up the wings” and because she wanted to “beg you to get your annual mammograms.”

“If I had waited six months longer, things could have been much worse. It could have spread. Seeing women posting photos of their mammogram appointments on Instagram prompted me to schedule my own appointments (which I was late for). I’m so glad. “I have,” she warned.

She added that she hoped her announcement would be a show of support for others struggling with the disease.

Next, Fischer thanked everyone who helped her fight breast cancer. “It takes a village to beat cancer, and I had an amazing village.”

She thanked her doctors, nurses, caregivers and “strangers who are now sisters” who shared their own cancer stories with her along the way.

She also thanked friends and family who supported her in different ways throughout her battle. “Every gesture, big or small, was felt. Everything was perfect,” she wrote, adding that some people didn’t feel this until recently. “I needed spaces and people who didn’t see me as a cancer patient.”

Fischer also thanked her “best friend” and co-host of the popular “Office” podcast “Office Ladies,” Kinsey, writing, “For a long time, she was the only person in my workspace who knew. When I lost my hair, she wore hats to our work meetings so I wouldn't be the only one.

Fischer, who is a mother of two, detailed her family's reaction to the diagnosis, writing that her children were “amazing.” She said she revealed the diagnosis to adults who supported her children when the family was in distress. “We leaned on our community. They stopped us. We got through it together.”

Fischer concluded her post by thanking her husband, Lee Kirk, who she said has been by her side through every step of her recovery. “He was there for everything. I knew he was a catch when I married him. I was right,” she wrote.

Fischer's final slide shows her and her family celebrating her final radiation and chemotherapy treatments by ringing a bell and throwing confetti. She concluded with another “office” note and a reminder to get checked for breast cancer. “Believe Pam and her Pam Pams. Michael was right. Get them checked out, ladies. And know that if you are diagnosed with breast cancer, there is a village waiting to take care of you,” she ended.

From 2005 to 2013, Fischer starred in all nine seasons of “The Office.” Her current podcast, Office Ladies, which she co-hosts with Kinsey, breaks down previous episodes and shares memories from the set.