Andrea Mitchell reveals she has breast cancer

Andrea Mitchell, NBC’s chief foreign affairs correspondent, announced on the air yesterday that she has breast cancer. She did note, however, that the malignancy has not spread and that her prognosis was, all things considered, excellent.

“On a personal note, or how I spent my summer vacation, I had planned to be hiking in Wyoming last week but instead discovered that I am now among the one in eight women – incredibly, one in eight – who’ve had breast cancer,” Mitchell said during her MSNBC show, “Andrea Mitchell Reports”.

Mitchell, 64, said that the cancer was caught by her doctor in its “earliest stages” during a routine screening. She took the opportunity to remind women of the importance of having routine breast examinations to catch any malignancy before it’s able to spread.

“Mine was discovered during my annual screening just a short time ago. Luckily for me, I’m one of the fortunate ones,” Mitchell said.

Recent studies by the National Cancer Institute suggest that women diagnosed with stage 1 breast cancer, such as Mitchell, have a survival rate of 98.6 percent. Once the cancer begins to spread to the lymph nodes, however, the survival rate drops down to 84 percent.

“I’m looking at this as another of life’s lessons,” Mitchell said. “For you women out there and the men who love you, screening matters. Do it. This disease can be completely curable if you find it at the right time.”

Mitchell can be seen on MSNBC each day at 1 p.m. ET on her show, “Andrea Mitchell Reports”.

via ABC News