All About Her Diagnosis and Treatment

When Danielle Fishel was diagnosed with cancer, her first instinct was to “suffer through it alone.”

“When I was trying to make the decision about whether or not I wanted to talk about it publicly, my first instinct was to just keep it quiet, not tell anybody and just get through it,” the Boy Meets World alum told PEOPLE in October 2024.

However, she ultimately changed her mind, realizing that she could use her platform to share how important it is to keep up with yearly check-ups.

Fishel learned that she had ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) — a noninvasive, stage-zero cancer that is trapped inside the milk ducts — after a routine mammogram in July 2024. She underwent two surgeries and 20 rounds of radiation in the weeks following her diagnosis, and her “pathology came back with no cancer found.”

“Had it not been for me being so on top of my yearly checkup, I may not have found this,” she explained. “Had I said, ‘I did my mammogram last year, I was totally fine. What are the odds that in one year I’m going to have anything? I’ll be fine. I’ll put it off,’ it could have been much worse for me.” 

Here’s everything to know about Danielle Fishel’s cancer journey and what the actress has said about her diagnosis and treatment.

She was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer in July 2024

Fishel was diagnosed with DCIS following a routine mammogram in July 2024. Though she said she looked and felt healthy, her results were abnormal.

“I was not expecting in any way that it was going to find anything,” the podcast host told PEOPLE. “It was really shocking.”

She revealed the news to her fans on an August 2024 episode of Pod Meets World, which she co-hosts with her former Boy Meets World costars Rider Strong and Will Friedle. Fishel said that her cancer was “very, very, very early” and “technically stage zero.”

She underwent two surgeries and 20 rounds of radiation 

Though Fishel initially considered having a double mastectomy, several doctors advised her that a lumpectomy was the best route because of how early they caught the disease. She underwent that surgery in August 2024 and had a margin revision surgery the following month.

After her surgeries, the podcast host said she had to relearn how to look at her post-cancer body differently.

“I notice a difference in the way I physically look,” she told PEOPLE. “Aside from just two incisions, I can tell that I’ve had tissue removed from my breast … So I have a lot of blessings, but I’m also leaving room and space for myself to mourn some of the things that I’ve lost.”

In January 2025, Fishel revealed on her podcast that she had 20 rounds of radiation therapy and was “officially done” with active cancer treatment.

She had a clear mammogram following her treatment

After her second surgery, the actress was happy to learn that her mammograms came back clear.

“That pathology came back with no cancer found,” Fishel shared with PEOPLE. “I’ve since had a clear mammogram. I’m feeling really well. I’m just grateful that the surgery part is behind me.”

She said she’ll likely have to start hormone therapy as well and may have to be on an estrogen blocker for “at least five years.”

Her diagnosis inspired her to join Dancing with the Stars

After the former child star finished her cancer treatment, she had a revelation that she wasn’t “experiencing enough joy” in her life.

”I’m going through every day, performing tasks and being there for my family and being there for work. Where’s the fun?” Fishel told PEOPLE in September 2025. “When they asked me to do [Dancing with the Stars], I was like, ‘This is the perfect way to cap it off.’ ”

She added that joining season 34 of the hit ABC dancing competition series — which paired her with pro Pasha Pashkov — was “the fastest” she’s ever said “yes.”

She credited her husband for his “unbelievable” support

Fishel told PEOPLE in October 2024 that her husband, Jensen Karp, had “been unbelievable” throughout her cancer journey and had accompanied her to all her doctor’s appointments.

“He’s been there when I’ve had my emotional meltdowns and needed to cry,” she said. “And he’ll say, ‘What are the tears about? Do you want to talk about them? What is this? Do you just want to vent or is this about a specific thing we can talk through?’ He’s been really great.”

She took a gentle approach to telling her kids 

Fishel admitted she was nervous about breaking the news to her young sons, Adler Lawrence and Keaton Joseph. After their grandmother, Karp’s mom, died of lung cancer in 2022, she feared they might equate sickness with death.

“And my oldest son, Adler, was 3 when she passed, and he was very close to her,” the actress said during an October 2024 interview on the Amy & T.J. podcast. “My big concern was that if we tell him that she was sick, he’s gonna think the next time he gets a cold that he’s gonna die, or that the next time mommy or daddy is sick, he’s gonna think we’re gonna die.”

To maintain honesty without scaring her kids, Fishel didn’t tell them that she had cancer. Instead, she said she had a “boo boo” that was “surgically removed” from her body and that they needed to be gentle with her while she recovered.

She said she’s “thrilled to be alive”

Though Fishel told PEOPLE that her “whole life changed” after her cancer diagnosis, she’s still counting her blessings.

“I am thrilled to be alive and I’m thrilled that my cancer was found early,” she said. “Finding time for health screenings is not always easy, but it’s kind of like one of our family values that we don’t put those things off. So I made the appointment.”

The actress continued that while “no one wants to feel annoying” or “like a nag,” it’s important to encourage loved ones to stay on top of their routine screenings.

“Being able to say to your friends and family, ‘I love you, your wellness matters. I want you to be healthy. Have you made your appointments?’ actually makes a difference,” Fishel explained. “So, even if you don’t know me personally, consider me like a friend or a family member gently reminding you to take your health into your own hands.”