Applegate: '100%' Cancer-Free

Many of them became advocates after diagnosis

(NEWSER) - Support has been pouring in for Giuliana Rancic ever since she announced she has breast cancer , and celebrity breast cancer survivor Christina Applegate says she will be there for the E! News host. “I know that journey so well,” Applegate tells E! . “I get what she’s going through.” The Washington Post rounds up 18 more famous ladies who have survived:

• Sheryl Crow: The singer started advocating for yearly mammograms after being diagnosed with early stage breast cancer in 2006.
• Robin Roberts: The Good Morning America anchor kept appearing on TV as she underwent chemotherapy in 2007.
• Melissa Etheridge: Following her 2004 diagnosis, she has been an advocate and has worked with the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation.

Double mastectomy growing in popularity

(NEWSER) - More and more women diagnosed with breast cancer are choosing to have their healthy breast removed along with the cancerous one. In 2006, 6% of women undergoing breast cancer surgery opted for such a double mastectomy, a figure that’s more than double what it was in recent years, the New York Times reports. “I just didn’t want to worry about it,” explains one woman. “It was for my own peace of mind.” More»

Full recovery expected for star of Samantha Who?

(NEWSER) - Christina Applegate has been diagnosed with breast cancer, but her doctors expect a full recovery, Reuters reports. Applegate—who played ditzy daughter Kelly Bundy on Married…With Children and now stars as an amnesiac on ABC’s Samantha Who?— has been an advocate for breast cancer research. Her mother battled both breast and cervical cancer. More»

Double mastectomies on the rise, despite less-invasive options

(NEWSER) - More women are going to extremes after a breast cancer diagnosis, opting for double mastectomies instead of single ones or mere lumpectomies, the Washington Post reports. The number rose 150% over 5 years, despite evidence that less-invasive treatments are just as effective in saving lives. "I didn't want to be sitting around for the rest of my life waiting for the cancer to come back," said one 43-year-old nurse who opted for the more radical procedure. More»

Lack of evidence that it increases survival for most women

(NEWSER) - More women are choosing to have double mastectomies despite a lack of evidence that such a procedure increases survival for most women, according to a study in the Journal of Oncology. The number of women choosing the procedure after an initial tumor was found in one breast increased 150% over five years. Doctors usually recommend removal of a tumor and surrounding tissue for localized breast cancer, not a mastectomy. More»