List of people with breast cancer

Actress Greta Garbo was a breast cancer patient

This list of notable people with breast cancer includes people who made significant contributions to their chosen field and who were diagnosed with breast cancer at some point in their lives, as confirmed by public information. Diagnosis dates are listed where the information is known. Breast cancer is the second most common cancer in women after skin cancer. According to the United States National Cancer Institute, the rate of new cases of female breast cancer was 129.1 per 100,000 women per year. The death rate was 19.9 per 100,000 women per year. These rates are age-adjusted and based on 2014–2018 cases and 2015–2019 deaths. Approximately 12.9 percent of women will be diagnosed with female breast cancer at some point during their lifetime, based on 2016–2018 data. In 2018, there were an estimated 3,676,262 women living with female breast cancer in the United States.

Acting

Name	Life	Comments	Diagnosis	Reference
Josephine Abady	(1949–2002)	American stage director, film director, and producer; died at age 52		[5]
Inga Abel	(1946–2000)	German actress; died at age 53
Aisha Abimbola	(1970–2018)	Nigerian actress; died at age 47		[6]
Dame Eileen Atkins	(1934–present)	British BAFTA, Emmy, and Olivier award-winning actress	diagnosed in 1995 at age 61	[7]
Allyce Beasley	(1954–present)	American actress	diagnosed in 1998 at 44	[8]
Aisha Bicknell	(1971–present)	daughter of British actress Rita Tushingham	diagnosed in April 2005 at age 33	[9]
Shirley Temple Black	(1926–2014)	American child star and U.S. Ambassador to Ghana and Czechoslovakia; died at age 85 from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease	diagnosed in 1972 at age 46	[10]
Carina Bleeth	(1942–1989)	American model and mother of actress Yasmine Bleeth; died of inflammatory breast cancer at age 47	diagnosed in 1988 at age 46	[11]
Malandra Burrows	(1965–present)	born Malandra Elizabeth Newman, English actress and singer	diagnosed in 2022 at age 56	[12]
Diahann Carroll	(1935–2019)	born Carol Diann Johnson, American Oscar-nominated actress and singer; died at age 84	diagnosed in 1998 at age 63	[13]
Mahima Chaudhry	(1973–present)	Indian actress	diagnosed in 2022 at age 49
Melanie Clark Pullen	(1975–2022)	Irish actress, film producer and writer; died at age 46 of a brain tumour	diagnosed in 2019 at age 44	[14]
Sara Coward	(1948–2017)	English actress and writer; died at age 69	diagnosed in 2013 at age 65
Bette Davis	(1908–1989)	American Oscar-winning actress; died at age 81	diagnosed in 1983 at age 75	[15]
Ruby Dee	(1922–2014)	born Ruby Ann Wallace, American Oscar-nominated actress; died in 2014 from natural causes	diagnosed in the 1970s	[16]
Shannen Doherty	(1971–present)	American Saturn-nominated actress	diagnosed in 2015 at age 44	[17]
Diana Douglas	(1923–2015)	born Diana Love Dill, British-American actress; first wife of American actor Kirk Douglas and mother of American actor Michael Douglas; died of an undisclosed form of cancer in 2015, aged 92	diagnosed in mid-1990s	[18]
Carmen Duncan	(1942–2019)	Australian actress; died at age 76
Sally Dynevor	(1963–present)	British actress	diagnosed in 2009 at age 46	[19]
Julie Ege	(1943–2008)	Norwegian actress and model; died at age 64		[20]
Jill Eikenberry	(1947–present)	American actress	diagnosed in 1986 at age 39	[21]
Victoria Ekanoye	(1981–present)	English actress	diagnosed in 2021 at age 39	[22]
Belinda Emmett	(1974–2006)	Australian actress; had a recurrence in 2001; died November 11, 2006, at age 32	diagnosed in 1998 at age 24
Edie Falco	(1963–present)	American actress	diagnosed in 2003 at age 40	[23]
Lesley Fitz-Simons	(1961–2013)	Scottish actress; died at age 51	diagnosed in 2009
Jane Fonda	(1937–present)	American actress, activist and former fashion model	diagnosed in 2010 at age 73	[24]
Kay Francis	(1905–1968)	born Katherine Edwina Gibbs, American actress, died at age 63	diagnosed in 1966 at age 61	[25]
Maria Friedman	(1960–present)	British actress	diagnosed in 2005 at age 45	[26]
Helen Gahagan	(1900–1980)	American actress turned politician; died at age 80	diagnosed in 1972 at age 72; recurred in 1976	[27]
Greta Garbo	(1905–1990)	born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson, Swedish-American Oscar-nominated actress; survived breast cancer following a double mastectomy; cause of death was kidney and stomach failure and pneumonia; died in 1990 at age 84	diagnosed in 1984 at age 79	[28]
Paulette Goddard	(1910–1990)	born Marion Levy, American Oscar-nominated actress; survived breast cancer, but died at age 79 following a brief battle with emphysema	diagnosed in 1975 at age 65	[29]
Florence Halop	(1923–1986)	American actress; died at age 63 of lung cancer believed to have metastasized from her original breast cancer		[30]
Dame Sheila Hancock	(1933–present)	British actress	diagnosed in 1988 at age 55	[31]
Julie Harris	(1925-2013)	American multi-Tony Award-winning and Oscar-nominated actress; died at age 87 in 2013 following a series of strokes	diagnosed in 1981 at age 56	[32]
Marica Hase	(1981–present)	Japanese gravure model and adult actress	diagnosed in 2018 at age 37	[33]
Diana Hyland	(1936–1977)	born Diane Gentner, American stage and television actress	diagnosed in 1977; died later the same year at age 41
Jill Ireland	(1936–1990)	British actress; died at age 54	diagnosed in 1984 at age 48	[34]
Kate Jackson	(1948–present)	American actress; survived a recurrence in 1989 at age 41	diagnosed in 1987 at age 39	[35]
Ann Jillian	(1950–present)	born Ann Jura Nauseda, American actress and entertainer	diagnosed in 1985 at age 35	[36]
Jennifer Jones	(1919–2009)	born Phylis Lee Isley, American Oscar-winning actress	survivor; died at age 90 from natural causes	[37]
Anne Kirkbride	(1954–2015)	British actress	died in 2015 at age 60	[38]
Myrna Loy	(1905–1993)	born Myrna Adele Williams, American actress; had mastectomies in 1975 and 1979, but died during surgery for undisclosed causes; died at age 88	diagnosed in 1975 at age 70
Rue McClanahan	(1934–2010)	American actress	diagnosed in 1997 at age 63; died in 2010 after suffering a stroke and a subsequent brain hemorrhage	[39]
Amanda Mealing	(1967–present)	British actress	diagnosed in August 2002 at age 35	[40]
Shelley Morrison	(1936–2019)	born Rachel Mitrani, American actress; had a recurrence in 1998 and also battled lung cancer; died at age 83 of heart failure in 2019	diagnosed in 1988 at age 52	[41]
Kitten Natividad	(1948–2022)	Mexican actress	diagnosed in 1999 at age 51	[42]
Alla Nazimova	(1879–1945)	born Marem-Ides (Adelaida Yakovlevna) Leventon, Russian-born American actress; survived breast cancer, but died due to a coronary thrombosis at age 66	diagnosed in 1936 at age 57	[43]
Phyllis Newman	(1933–2019)	American Tony Award-winning actress and singer	diagnosed in 1983 at age 50	[44]
Cynthia Nixon	(1966–present)	American actress	diagnosed in 2006 at age 40	[45]
Tig Notaro	(1971 – present)	born Mathilde O'Callaghan Notaro, American comedian and actress	diagnosed in 2012 at 41	[46]
Patrícia Pillar	(1964–present)	Brazilian actress	diagnosed in 2001	[47]
Kelly Preston	(1962–2020)	American actress and model, born Kelly Kamalelehua Smith	diagnosed in 2018; died in 2020 at age 57	[48]
Nancy Priddy	(1941–present)	American retired actress and singer-songwriter; mother of American actress Christina Applegate	diagnosed in 1978; recurrence in 1986	[49]
Lynn Redgrave	(1943–2010)	British-American Oscar-nominated actress	diagnosed in 2002 at age 59, died in 2010 at age 67	[50]
Wendy Richard	(1943–2009)	born Wendy Emerton, British actress; had a recurrence in 2002 at age 59, third recurrence in 2008, at which point it had metastasized; died in 2009 at age 65	diagnosed in 1995 at age 52	[51]
Richard Roundtree	(1942–present)	American actor	diagnosed in 1993 at age 51	[52]
Jaclyn Smith	(1947–present)	American actress and businesswoman	diagnosed in 2002 at age 55	[53]
Dame Maggie Smith	(1934–present)	British Oscar, Tony and Emmy award-winning actress	diagnosed in 2008 at age 74
Suzanne Somers	(1946–present)	born Suzanne Marie Mahoney; American actress and businesswoman	diagnosed in 2001 at age 55	[54]
Koo Stark	(1956–present)	born Kathleen Norris Stark, American former soft-porn actress; founded Keep A Breast cancer organization	diagnosed in 2002 at age 46	[55] Archived 2008-05-12 at the Wayback Machine
Gloria Stuart	(1910–2010)	born Gloria Stewart; American Oscar-nominated actress; died in 2010 at age 100 from unrelated causes	diagnosed circa 1982	[56]
Stephanie Swift	(1972–present)	American pornographic film actress and 2006 AVN Hall of Fame inductee	diagnosed in 2009 at age 37	[57]
Wanda Sykes	(1964–present)	American actress, stand-up comedian and writer	diagnosed in 2011 at age 47	[58]
Marcia Wallace	(1942–2013)	American comedic actress, game show panelist, and voice artist	diagnosed in 1985 at age 43	[59]
Yoshiko Tanaka	(1956–2011)	Japanese actress, member of Candies	diagnosed in 1992 at age 37; died in 2011 at age 55	[60]
Danitra Vance	(1954–1994)	American comedian and actress; died at age 40		[61]
Samantha Womack	(1972–present)	born Samantha Zoe Janus; British actress and singer	diagnosed in 2022 at age 49	[62]
Aleksandra Yakovleva	(1957–2022)	born Aleksandra Evgenievna Ivanes; Soviet and Russian actress and businesswoman	died in 2022 at age 64	[63]

Business

Name	Life	Comments	Diagnosis	Reference
Generosa Ammon	(1956–2003)	Widow of (and one-time suspect in the murder of) American businessman and multimillionaire Ted Ammon; died at age 47	diagnosed in 2002 at age 46	[64]
Mary-Ellis Bunim	(1946–2004)	American film/TV producer; died at age 57	diagnosed in 1995 at age 48	[65]
Fiamma Ferragamo	(1941–1998)	Italian businessperson; died at age 57		[66]
Ruth Handler	(1916–2002)	born Ruth Marianna Mosko, American creator of Barbie and Nearly Me prosthetics; she survived breast cancer in the 1970s but died following colon cancer surgery at age 85	diagnosed in 1970 at age 54	[67]
Kathy Keeton	(1939–1997)	American Penthouse publisher and wife of Penthouse publisher Bob Guccione; died during surgery from complications after refusing chemotherapy and treating herself with hydrazine sulfate; died at age 58	diagnosed in 1995 at age 56	[68]
Helen Gorman Kushnick	(1945–1996)	American talent agent and television producer; died at age 51	diagnosed in 1987 at age 42
Hala Moddelmog	(1956–present)	American president and CEO of Susan G. Komen for the Cure	diagnosed in 2001 at age 45	[69]
Gloria Steinem	(1934–present)	American founder of Ms. magazine, journalist, feminist and activist	diagnosed in 1986 at age 52	[70]

Miscellaneous

Name	Life	Comments	Diagnosis	Reference
Judi Bari	(1949–1997)	American environmentalist and labor leader; died at age 47		[71]
Jami Bernard	(1956–present)	American author and film critic for the New York Daily News	diagnosed in 1996 at age 40	[72]
Nancy Brinker	(1946–present)	born Nancy Goodman, American breast cancer activist and founder of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure, in honor of her sister	diagnosed in 1984 at age 37	[73]
Rose Chan	(1925–1987)	born Chan Wai Chang, Chinese-born "Queen of Striptease" exotic dancer; died at age 62	diagnosed in 1980 at age 55	[74]
Diana Capponi	(1953–2014)	Canadian mental health activist; died at age 61
Katharine Ellis Coman	(1857–1915)	American social activist and professor	diagnosed in 1911 around age 54; died in 1915, aged 57
J. D. Disalvatore	(1966–2017)	American LGBT film and television producer/director and gay rights activist; died at age 51
Judith Campbell Exner	(1934–1999)	born Judith Eileen Katherine Immoor, John F. Kennedy relationship-related American celebrity; died at age 65	diagnosed in 1978 at age 44	[75]
Sandra Feldman	(1940–2005)	born Sandra Abramowitz, American teacher and union leader (American Federation of Teachers); died at age 65	diagnosed in 2002 at age 62	[76]
Syvilla Fort	(1917–1975)	African-American dancer and choreographer; died at age 58		[77]
Fannie Lou Hamer	(1917–1977)	born Fannie Lou Townsend, African-American anti-segregation activist; died at age 59	diagnosed in 1976 at age 58	[78]
Jean Keene	(1923–2009)	born Jean Marie Hodgdon, "The Eagle Lady" of Homer, Alaska, famous for feeding 200-300 bald eagle daily during winter and early spring months for over 30 years	diagnosed in winter 1994 at age 71; underwent mastectomy; died of a respiratory illness in 2009, aged 85.
Susan G. Komen	(1944–1980)	born Susan Goodman, American breast cancer activist; sister of Nancy Brinker; died at age 36; namesake of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure organization	diagnosed in 1977 at age 33	[79]
Juliette Gordon Low	(1860–1927)	born Juliette Magill Kinzie Gordon, American founder of Girl Scouts of the USA; died at age 67	diagnosed in 1923 at age 63	[80]
Sister Dora Pattison	(1832–1878)	born Dorothy Wyndlow Pattison, Anglican nun and nurse; died at age 46	diagnosed in 1877
Karin Spaink	(1957–present)	Dutch journalist, social critic, and feminist	diagnosed at age 48 in 2006	[81]
Athena Starwoman	(1945–2004)	world-famous astrologer, columnist for Vogue and Woman's Day; TV commentator; died at age 59		[82]
Lynne Stewart	(1939–2017)	born Lynne Irene Feltham, American lawyer and activist; died at age 77	diagnosed in 2005 at age 66	[83]
Jane Tomlinson	(1964–2007)	born Jane Emily Goward, British cancer fundraiser; died at age 43	diagnosed in 1991 with a recurrence in 2000 at age 36 and died in 2007	[84]

Music

Name	Life	Comments	Diagnosis	Reference
A-Sun	(1975–2009)	Taiwanese Mandopop singer-songwriter	died in 2009, aged 34	[85]
Anastacia	(1968–present)	born Anastacia Lyn Newkirk, American popular singer	diagnosed in 2003 at age 34	[86]
Odia Coates	(1941–1991)	African-American singer; died at age 49	died in 1991, aged 49, following a four-year battle
Doris Coley	(1941–2000)	African-American singer (one of The Shirelles); died at age 58	died at age 58 in 2000	[87]
Teresa Cornelys	(c. 1723–1797)	Italian operatic soprano, born Anna Maria Teresa Imer; died at age 73 or 74	died in Fleet Prison, London in 1797
Linda Creed	(1949–1986)	American songwriter; died at age 37	diagnosed at age 26 in 1975	[88]
Peter Criss	(1945–present)	born Peter George Criscuola, American musician (Kiss drummer)	diagnosed at age 62 in 2008	[89]
Sheryl Crow	(1962–present)	American singer/musician, who, as of February 24, 2006, is being treated for breast cancer	diagnosed in 2006 at age 44	[90]
Tamara Danz	(1952–1996)	born Lenore Tamara Danz, German lead singer and lyricist of the East German rock group Silly	diagnosed in 1995; died the following year at age 43
Anita Doth	(1971–present)	born Anita Daniëlle Dels, Eurodance singer who was part of the Dutch duo 2 Unlimited	diagnosed in 2009 at age 37	[91]
Melissa Etheridge	(1961–present)	American singer/songwriter whose grandmother and aunt died from breast cancer	diagnosed in 2004 at age 43	[92]
Marianne Faithfull	(1946–present)	British singer/actress	diagnosed in 2006 at age 59	[93]
Kathleen Ferrier	(1912–1953)	English contralto; died at age 41	diagnosed in 1951 at age 38
Lola Flores	(1923–1995)	born María Dolores Flores Ruiz, Spanish singer, flamenco dancer, and businesswoman	first diagnosed in diagnosed in 1972; died at age 72	[94]
Nanci Griffith	(1953–2021)	American singer/songwriter	diagnosed in 1996 at age 43	[95]
Sarah Harding	(1981–2021)	born Sarah Nicole Hardman, English singer, model and actress, died at age 39	diagnosed in 2020 at age 38
Marsha Hunt	(1946–present)	African-American singer, novelist, breast cancer activist and mother of Mick Jagger's first child, Karis Jagger	diagnosed in 2004 at age 58	[96]
Irene Kral	(1932–1978)	African-American jazz singer; died at age 46	diagnosed in 1972 at age 40	[97]
Pastelle LeBlanc	(1979/1980–2022)	Canadian folk musician; died at age 42	diagnosed in 2020	[98]
Lorraine Hunt Lieberson	(1954–2006)	American opera singer; died at age 52; in 2000 her younger sister Alexis also died due to breast cancer	diagnosed in 2000 at age 46	[99]
Linda McCartney	(1941–1998)	born Linda Louise Eastman, American singer, activist, wife of British former Beatles member, Sir Paul McCartney; died at age 56	diagnosed in 1995 at age 56	[100]
Kylie Minogue	(1968–present)	Australian singer and actress. Sister of Dannii Minogue.	diagnosed in 2005 at age 36	[101]
Anna Moffo	(1932–2006)	Italian-American singer and operatic soprano who died from a stroke after grappling with complications of breast cancer for a decade; died at age 73	diagnosed in 1996	[102], [103]
Charlotte Moorman	(1933–1991)	American cellist and performance artist; died at age 57	diagnosed in the late 1970s in her 40s	[104]
Dame Olivia Newton-John	(1948–2022)	British-Australian singer, actress and activist; died at age 73	diagnosed in 1992 at age 44	[105]
Bernie Nolan	(1960–2013)	Irish singer, actress, television personality and former member of the 1970s pop band, The Nolans; died at age 52	diagnosed in 2010 at age 49	[106]
Linda Nolan	(1959–present)	Irish singer, actress and former member of the 1970s pop band, The Nolans	diagnosed in 2006 at age 46	[107]
Minnie Pearl	(1912–1996)	born Sarah Ophelia Colley, American Grand Ole Opry star, country comic, singer and philanthropist who survived breast cancer but died in 1996 of complications from a stroke; died at age 83	diagnosed in 1985 at age 73	[108]
Minnie Riperton	(1947–1979)	American singer-songwriter	diagnosed in 1976 at age 29	[109]
Carly Simon	(1945–present)	American singer	diagnosed in 1998 at age 53	[110]
Lucy Simon	(1940–2022)	American composer	died at age 82
Soraya	(1969–2006)	born Soraya Raquel Lamilla Cuevas, Colombian-American singer/songwriter and breast cancer advocate; her mother (Yamila Cuevas Gharib; (1941–1992)), aunt, and grandmother also died due to breast cancer; died at age 37	diagnosed in 2000 at age 31	[111]
Dusty Springfield	(1939–1999)	born Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien, British songwriter/singer; died at age 59	diagnosed in 1994 at age 54	[112]
Ruth Ann Swenson	(1963–present)	American operatic soprano	diagnosed in 2006 at age 43	[113]
Jools Topp	(1958–present)	New Zealand folk singer; one of the Topp Twins	diagnosed in 2006 at age 48	[114]
Tatiana Troyanos	(1938–1993)	American operatic mezzo-soprano; died at age 54	diagnosed in the mid-1980s and later in remission; found in July 1993 to have metastasized to her liver	[115]
Dawn Upshaw	(1960–present)	American operatic soprano diva	diagnosed in 2006 at age 46	[116]

Politics and government

Name	Life	Comments	Diagnosis	Reference
Bella Abzug	(1920–1998)	born Bella Savitsky, American politician, lawyer, and women's movement leader; battled breast cancer for years before developing heart disease, which claimed her life; it was never publicly disclosed if the cancer had metastasized; died at age 77	diagnosed in 1994 at age 73	[117]
Judith Adams	(1943–2012)	born Judith Anne Bird, New Zealand-born Australian politician, midwife, nurse, and farmer; died at age 68	diagnosed with first-stage breast cancer in 1998, and secondary breast cancer in 2008; died in 2012	[118]
Barbara Allen	(1961–present)	American politician, Kansas State Senator	diagnosed in 2005	[119]
Rose Bird	(1936–1999)	first female Chief Justice of California; died at age 63	diagnosed in 1976 at age 40	[120]
Dame Joyanne Bracewell	(1934–2007)	Judge of the Family Division of the High Court of Justice (UK); died at age 72		[121]
Edward Brooke	(1919–2015)	male African-American former U.S. Senator of Massachusetts; died at age 95	diagnosed in 2002 at age 83	[122]
Robin Carnahan	(1961–present)	American politician, Missouri Secretary of State	diagnosed in 2006	[123]
Mary Jo Codey	(1955–present)	born Mary Jo Rolli, former First Lady of New Jersey, school teacher and wife of former Governor of New Jersey Richard Codey; Mary Jo's mother died due to breast cancer	diagnosed in 2002 at age 47	[124]
Nellie Connally	(1919–2006)	born Idanell Brill, American wife of former Texas Governor John Connally; survived breast cancer and died of natural causes at age 87; established the Nellie B. Connally Breast Cancer Fund in 1989	diagnosed in 1988 at age 69	[125]
Margaret Daley	(1943–2011)	born Margaret Ann Corbett, wife of American politician Richard M. Daley	diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer in 2002	[126]
Jo Ann Davis	(1950–2007)	born Jo Ann Sides, American politician	diagnosed in September 2005 at age 55; died at age 57	[127]
Sandra Deal	(1942–2022)	American education advocate; first lady of Georgia (2011–2019)	diagnosed in January 2018; died at age 80	[128]
Peggy Duff	(1910–1981)	born Margaret Doreen Eames, British political activist and organiser of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament; died at age 71		[129]
Eileen Dugan	(1945–1996)	American politician; Brooklyn, New York State Assemblywoman; died at age 51	diagnosed in 1992 at age 37	[130]
Elizabeth Edwards	(1949–2010)	born Mary Elizabeth Anania, American lawyer and wife of John Edwards; died at age 61	diagnosed in 2004 at age 55	[131]
Margaret Ewing	(1945–2006)	born Margaret Anne McAdam, Scottish National Party politician and Member of the Scottish Parliament and wife of fellow MSP Fergus Ewing; died at age 60	diagnosed in 2002 at age 57	[132]
Betty Ford	(1918–2011)	born Elizabeth Anne Bloomer, First Lady of the United States (1974-1977) and founder of the Betty Ford Center; died at age 93	diagnosed in 1974 at age 56	[133]
Bea Gaddy	(1933–2001)	born Beatrice Frankie Fowler, African-American Baltimore City Council member and advocate for the poor; recurrence in 2001; died at age 68	diagnosed in 1998 at age 65	[134]
Megan Lloyd George	(1902–1966)	Welsh politician and the first female Member of Parliament (MP) for a Welsh constituency; died at age 64		[135]
Patricia Roberts Harris	(1924–1985)	Served as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and Secretary of Health and Human Services during the Carter administration; died at age 60	diagnosed in 1983 at age 59	[136]
Heidi Heitkamp	(1955–present)	North Dakota politician and lawyer	diagnosed in 2000 at age 45	[137]
Janette Howard	(1944–present)	born Janette Parker, wife of Australian Prime Minister John Howard	diagnosed in 1996 at age 52	[138]
Susan Kadis	(1953–present)	Canadian Member of Parliament	diagnosed in 1995 at age 42	[139]
Joan Kennedy	(1936–present)	born Virginia Joan Bennett, former wife of late Senator Edward M. Kennedy (Massachusetts)	diagnosed in 2005 at age 68	[140]
Datin Seri Endon Mahmood	(1940–2005)	wife of the Prime Minister of Malaysia Abdullah Ahmad Badawi; her twin sister, Noraini, died due to breast cancer in 2003; died at age 64	diagnosed in 2002 at age 61	[141]
Judy Eason McIntyre	(1945–present)	African-American politician, Oklahoma State Senator	diagnosed in August, 2006	[142]
Tucker L. Melancon	(1947–present)	male United States District Judge, Western District of Louisiana, 5th Circuit since 1994	diagnosed in 2002 at age 56	[143]
Janet Napolitano	(1957–present)	American politician, former Governor of Arizona, Secretary of Homeland Security	diagnosed in 2000 at age 43	[144]
Jocelyn Newman	(1937–2018)	born Jocelyn Margaret Mullett, former Senator from the Australian Parliament for Tasmania; treated successfully and died of Alzheimer's disease in 2018 at age 80	diagnosed in 1993 at age 56	[145]
Eileen O'Connell	(1947–2000)	late Member of the Legislative Assembly of Nova Scotia, Canada, for Halifax-Fairview; died on September 27, 2000, at age 53	diagnosed in 1998 at age 51
Sandra Day O'Connor	(1930–present)	first female U.S. Supreme Court Justice	diagnosed in 1988 at age 58	[146]
Siobhán O'Hanlon	(1963–2006)	Northern Irish Sinn Féin official and former Provisional Irish Republican Army member; died at age 43 on 11 April 2006	diagnosed in October 2002 at age 39	[147]
Katherine O'Regan	(1946-2018)	born Katherine Victoria Newton, New Zealand county councillor, MP, and Associate Minister of Health (National Party)	diagnosed in 2008; died in 2018 at age 71	[148]
Irma Rangel	(1932–2003)	American politician, Texas State Representative; died of inflammatory breast cancer (also suffered from ovarian and brain cancers); died at age 71		[149]
Nancy Reagan	(1921–2016)	born Anne Frances Robbins, former First Lady of the United States and wife of former President Ronald Reagan	diagnosed in 1987 at age 66	[150]
M. Jodi Rell	(1946–present)	born Mary Carolyn Reavis, American politician, Governor of Connecticut	diagnosed in 2004 at age 58	[151]
Happy Rockefeller	(1926–2015)	born Margaretta Large Fitler, American socialite and wife of the late former N.Y. Governor and U.S. Vice President Nelson Rockefeller	diagnosed in 1974 at age 48; died in 2015, aged 88	[152]
Debra Shipley	(1957–present)	British politician, Labour Party Member of Parliament	diagnosed in 2005 at age 47	[153]
Claire Shulman	(1926–2020)	born Claire Kantoff, American registered nurse turned politician; former (and first female) Borough President of Queens, New York City; died at age 94 in 2020		[154]
Ricky Silberman	(1937–2007)	born Rosalie Gaull, American conservative activist who co-founded the Independent Women's Forum; died at age 69		[155]
Jan Tinetti	(1968–present)	New Zealand politician, Member of Parliament (Labour Party)	diagnosed in 2019	[156]
Linda Tripp	(1949–2020)	born Linda Rose Carotenuto, American federal government employee and Monica Lewinsky's former confidant; died of pancreatic cancer at age 70 in 2020	diagnosed in 2001 at age 51	[157]
Ann Veneman	(1949–present)	former head of the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture	diagnosed in 2002 at age 52	[158]
Jenna Welch	(1919–2019)	born Jenna Louise Hawkins, mother of American First Lady Laura Bush	diagnosed in 1997 at age 78	[159]

Royalty

Name	Life	Comments	Diagnosis	Reference
Anne of Austria	(1601–1666)	mother of King Louis XIV of France and Philippe I, Duke of Orléans, wife of King Louis XIII of France, daughter of Habsburg parents, King Philip III of Spain and Margarita of Austria, sister of King Philip IV of Spain, aunt and mother-in-law of Spanish Habsburg princess Maria Theresa of Spain; died at age 66		[160]
Abigail Kuaihelani Campbell	(1858–1908)	born Abigail Kuaihelani Maipinepine Bright, member of the nobility of the Kingdom of Hawaii; died at age 50		[161]
Lady Anne Hyde	(1637–1671)	Duchess of York, first wife of James, Duke of York (the future King James VII and II), mother of Queen Mary II and Anne, Queen of Great Britain, and daughter of Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon; died at age 34		[162]
Queen Atossa of Persia	(550 BC–475 BC)	daughter of Persian King Cyrus the Great, half-sister and wife of Persian and Egyptian King Cambyses II, later wife of Cambyses II's brother, Persian and Egyptian King Smerdis, later wife of Persian and Egyptian King Darius I, and mother of Persian and Egyptian King Xerxes I; died at about age 75, circa 475 BC		[163]
Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother	(1900–2002)	born Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon, mother of Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon; died at age 101 (breast and colon cancer survivor, only revealed posthumously)
Princess of Ukok	(c. 500 BC)	"Siberian Ice Maiden", a Scytho-Siberian woman whose remains were found in Republic of Altai, Russia		[164]
Empress Theodora	(c. 500–548)	empress of the Byzantine Empire and wife of Emperor Justinian I; both are commemorated on November 14 as saints in the Eastern Orthodox Church; died before the age of 50		[165]

Science

Name	Life	Comments	Diagnosis	Reference
Claudia Alexander	(1959–2015)	Canadian-born American research scientist		[166]
Mary Anning	(1799–1847)	English fossil collector and paleontologist from Lyme Regis, Dorset, England; subject of the book Mary Anning of Lyme Regis by Crispin Tickell; died at age 48	diagnosed in 1845 at age 46	[167]
Mary Astell	(1666–1731)	English philosopher and feminist writer; died at age 65	diagnosed in 1731 at age 65	[168]
Dame Patricia Bergquist	(1933–2009)	born Patricia Rose Smyth, New Zealand zoologist and professor; died at age 76		[169]
Yvonne Brill	(1924–2013)	born Yvonne Madelaine Claeys, Canadian-American rocket and jet propulsion engineer; died at age 88
Rachel Carson	(1907–1964)	American environmentalist and author (Silent Spring); died at age 56	diagnosed in 1960 at age 53	[170]
Dorothy Leavitt Cheney	(1950–2018)	American primatologist and scholar; died at age 68		[171]
Anna Donald	(1966–2009)	born Anastasia Katherine Courtice, Australian epidemiologist and company director; died at age 42		[172]
Ruth Marguerite Easterling	(1898–1943)	African-American physician and pathologist; worked with William Augustus Hinton to help develop the Hinton test for syphilis; died at age 45
Sophie Germain	(1776–1831)	French mathematician; died at age 55		[173]
Jerri Nielsen	(1952–2009)	born Jerri Lin Cahill, American physician who famously treated herself for breast cancer while stuck in the South Pole after discovering a lump on her breast, as depicted in the movie Ice Bound; died at age 57	diagnosed in 1999 at age 47	[174], [175]
Edith Pechey	(1845–1908)	aka Mary Edith Pechey-Phipson, British female physician and women's rights activist; died at age 63	diagnosed in 1907 at age 62	[176]
Marjorie Shostak	(1945–1996)	American anthropologist; died at age 51	diagnosed in 1989 at age 44	[177]

Sports

Name	Life	Comments	Diagnosis	Reference
Kathy Ahern	(1949–1996)	American professional golfer	diagnosed c. 1991	[178]
Raelene Boyle	(1951–present)	Australian Olympic champion athlete; in 2000; also surviving ovarian cancer	diagnosed in 1996 at age 45	[179]
Kirsten Venetta Brown	(1963–2006)	African-American slalom canoeist; died at age 43		[180]
Helen Callaghan	(1923–1992)	Canadian-born American baseball player; died at age 69		[181]
Edna Campbell	(1968–present)	African-American professional basketball star	diagnosed in 2002 at age 34	[182]
Marina Dalglish	(1954–present)	Founder of the Marina Dalglish Appeal; wife of Scottish former international football player Kenny Dalglish	diagnosed in 2003 at age 49	[183]
Faye Dancer	(1925–2002)	former star of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League and the inspiration for Madonna's character in the film A League of Their Own; died at age 77	diagnosed in 2000 at age 75	[184]
Eleanor Dapkus	(1923–2011)	American baseball player; died at age 87		[185]
Cecilia De La Hoya	(1951–1990)	born Cecilia Gonzalez, mother of boxing champion Oscar De La Hoya who founded the Cecilia Gonzalez De La Hoya Cancer Center in her memory; died at age 39		[186]
Kelly Jo Dowd	(1965–2007)	born Kelly Jo Dennis, American mother of golfer Dakoda Dowd	diagnosed in 2002 at age 37	[187]
Ludmila Engquist	(1964–present)	Russian-Swedish hurdler	diagnosed in 1999 at age 34
Heather Farr	(1965–1993)	American LPGA Tour golfer; died at age 28	diagnosed in 1989 at age 24	[188]
Deanna Favre	(1970–present)	wife of American football quarterback Brett Favre; founder of The Deanna Favre Hope Foundation	diagnosed in 2004 at age 33	[189], [190]
Peggy Fleming	(1948–present)	American Olympic champion figure skater	diagnosed in 1998 at age 50	[191]
Ernie Green	(1938–present)	African-American former professional Cleveland Browns football player; his two sisters were also diagnosed with breast cancer, one of whom died due to the disease	diagnosed in 2005 at age 67	[192]
Akira Hokuto	(1967–present)	born Hisako Uno, Japanese professional wrestler	diagnosed in 2015 at age 48	[193]
Tiffany Jackson	(1985–2022)	American basketball player	died in 2022 at age 37	[194]
Jane McGrath	(1966–2008)	born Jane Louise Steele, wife of Australian cricket champion Glenn McGrath	diagnosed in 1997 at age 31	[195]
Judy Rankin	(1945–present)	born Judy Torluemke, American Hall of Fame professional golfer	diagnosed in 2006 at age 61	[196]
Betsy Rawls	(1928–present)	American Hall of Fame professional golfer	diagnosed in 1999 at age 71	[197]
Dorothy Shula	(1933–1991)	born Dorothy Alice Bartish, American wife of Miami Dolphins football coach Don Shula who founded the Don Shula Foundation for breast cancer research	diagnosed in 1985 at age 51	[198]
Rell Sunn	(1950–1998)	American world surfing champion; died at age 47	diagnosed in 1983 at age 32	[199] Archived 2007-02-14 at the Wayback Machine
Mickey Wright	(1935–2020)	American Hall of Fame professional golfer; died at age 85	diagnosed in 2006
Kay Yow	(1942–2009)	American head coach of the women's basketball team at North Carolina State University; died at age 66	diagnosed in 1987 at age 45; recurrence in 2004 at age 62	[200]

Television and radio

Name	Life	Comments	Diagnosis	Reference
Sarah Beeny	(1972–present)	English broadcaster and entrepreneur	diagnosed in 2022 at age 50	[201]
Rachael Bland	(1978–2018)	English journalist and podcast presenter	diagnosed in 2016 at age 38; died in 2018 at age 40	[202]
Julia Bradbury	(1970–present)	Irish-born English television presenter and journalist	diagnosed in 2021 at age 51	[203]
Pattie Daly Caruso	(1944–2017)	mother of American television personality Carson Daly		[204], [205]
Sarah Cawood	(1972–present)	English broadcaster and presenter	diagnosed in 2021 at age 49	[206]
Julia Child	(1912–2004)	born Julia Carolyn McWilliams; American television chef, known as "The French Chef"; survived breast cancer and died of natural causes at age 91	diagnosed in 1967 at age 55	[207]
Brenda Edwards	(1969–present)	English singer, actress and television presenter	diagnosed in 2019 at age 50	[208]
Linda Ellerbee	(1944–present)	born Linda Jane Smith; American television journalist	diagnosed in 1991 at age 47	[209]
Laura Ingraham	(1964–present)	American radio host/pundit	diagnosed in 2005 at age 41	[210]
Caron Keating	(1962–2004)	Northern Irish television celebrity; the Caron Keating Foundation was founded in her honor; died at age 41	diagnosed in 1997 at age 34	[211]
Jennifer Lyon	(1972–2010)	American contestant on the CBS reality television series Survivor: Palau; died at age 37	diagnosed in 2005 at age 33	[212]
Debbie McGee	(1958–present)	English television, radio and stage performer	diagnosed in 2018 at age 59	[213]
Carol McGiffin	(1960–present)	English radio and television broadcaster	diagnosed in 2014 at age 54	[214]
Wendy Mesley	(1957–present)	Canadian television presenter and reporter for CBC Television	diagnosed in January, 2005 at age 48	[215]
Diana Moran	(1941–present)	born Diana Ruth Dicker, British model, fitness expert and journalist; known as "The Green Goddess" on BBC1's Breakfast Time television programme in the 1980s	diagnosed in 1988 at age 47	[216]
Dame Jenni Murray	(1950–present)	born Jennifer Susan Bailey, British BBC presenter	diagnosed in 2006 at age 56	[217]
Dede Robertson	(1927–2022)	born Adelia Elmer, American nurse, author, television personality, and activist; wife of American Christian televangelist Pat Robertson; died at age 94	diagnosed in 1986	[218]
Deidre Sanders	(1945–present)	born June Deidre Sanders, English columnist and agony aunt	diagnosed in 2022 at age 77	[219]
Susan Stamberg	(1938–present)	born Susan Levitt, American radio journalist for National Public Radio	Diagnosed in 1986 at age 48	[220]
Betty Thompson	(1934–1994)	Canadian television host of a children's programme produced at CKCO's studios; founded the annual Betty Thompson Golf Classic for breast cancer fundraising; died at age 60	diagnosed in 1990 at age 56	[221]

Visual arts

Name	Life	Comments	Diagnosis	Reference
Lucy, Lady Duff-Gordon	(1863–1935)	born Lucy Christiana Sutherland, London-born Canadian early 20th century fashion designer known as "Lucile"; sister to screenwriter Elinor Glyn; survivor of the sinking of The Titanic; died at age 71		[222] Archived 2003-09-20 at the Wayback Machine
Miriam Engelberg	(1958–2006)	American graphic artist/writer/blogger; died on October 18, 2006, at age 48	diagnosed in 2001 at age 43	[223]
Lona Foote	(1950/1951–1993)	American photographer; died on April 15, 1993 at age 42
Kate Greenaway	(1846–1901)	British illustrator; died at age 55		[224]
Trina Schart Hyman	(1939–2004)	American children's book illustrator; died at age 65		[225]
Betsey Johnson	(1942–present)	American fashion designer		[226]
Shirley Ardell Mason	(1923–1998)	American artist, inspiration for the book and film Sybil; died at age 75		[227]
Matuschka	(1954–present)	born Joanne Motichka, American fine art photographer and breast cancer activist	diagnosed in 1991	[228]
Jean Muir	(1928–1995)	English fashion designer; died at age 66		[229]
Alma Reville	(1899–1982)	English-born American assistant film director, actress, and wife of film director Alfred Hitchcock; died of natural causes at age 82
Hollis Sigler	(1948–2001)	American painter; died at age 53	diagnosed in 1985, the cancer returned in 1991, and by 1993, had spread to her bones, pelvis and spine (Sigler's mother and great-grandmother had also both succumbed to the disease)	[230]
Jo Spence	(1934–1992)	British photographer; died at age 58		[231]
Hendrickje Stoffels	(1626 - 1663)	Artist model and mistress of the Dutch painter Rembrandt		[232]
Barbra Walz	(1950/1951–1990)	American fashion photographer; died at age 39		[233]
Thelma Wood	(1901–1970)	American sculptor; died at age 69		[234]

Writing

Name	Life	Comments	Diagnosis	Reference
Kathy Acker	(1947–1997)	born Karen Lehman, American author, playwright, and essayist; died at age 50	diagnosed in 1996, aged 49	[235]
Valentine Ackland	(1906–1969)	born Mary Kathleen Macrory Ackland, British poet; died at age 63		[236]
Lisa Bonchek Adams	(1969–2015)	born Lisa Deborah Bonchek, American writer known as @AdamsLisa; died at age 45	diagnosed in 2012	[237]
Margery Allingham	(1904–1966)	British mystery writer; died at age 62		[238]
V. C. Andrews	(1923–1986)	born Cleo Virginia Andrews, American author; died at age 62		[239]
Sally Belfrage	(1936–1994)	British author and journalist; died at age 57		[240]
Erma Bombeck	(1927–1996)	born Erma Louise Fiste, American columnist and author; survived breast cancer but died during a kidney transplant; died at age 69		[241]
Fanny Burney	(1752–1840)	English novelist; survived breast cancer; died at age 88		[242]
Anna Petrovna Bunina	(1774–1829)	Russian poet and writer; died at age 55
Joan Riddell Cook	(1922–1995)	American journalist and labor activist; founded JAWS (Journalism and Women Symposium); died at age 73		[243]
Julia Darling	(1956–2005)	Award-winning British writer; died at age 48		[244]
Antoinette-Thérèse Des Houlières	(1659–1718)	French poet; died at age 59		[245], [246]
Antoinette du Ligier de la Garde Deshoulières	(1638–1694)	French poet; died at age 56		[247]
Helen Dewar	(1936–2006)	American political reporter for The Washington Post newspaper; died at age 70		[248]
Shirley Graham Du Bois	(1896–1977)	born Lola Shirley Graham Jr., African-American author, playwright, composer and activist; died at age 80		[249]
Susan Duncan	(1952–present)	Australian author and magazine editor		[250]
Barbara Ehrenreich	(1941–2022)	born Barbara Alexander, American author and ethicist		[251]
Annalee Fadiman	(1917–2002)	born Annalee Whitmore, World War II foreign correspondent for Life and Time magazines and author. Committed suicide at age 85 after suffering from breast cancer and Parkinson's disease		[252]
Caitlin Flanagan	(1961–present)	American magazine writer, editor and book author		[253]
Mary Lou Forbes	(1926–2009)	born Mary Lou Werner, aka Ludie Forbes, American journalist and commentator	diagnosed in 2009, several weeks before her death at age 83
Lacey Fosburgh	(1942–1993)	American author; died at age 50		[254]
Jane Hamsher	(1959–present)	born Jane Murphy, American film producer, author and liberal blogger	diagnosed 3rd time in December 2006 at age 47	[255]
Molly Ivins	(1944–2007)	American journalist and author diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer; died at age 62	diagnosed in 1999 at age 55	[256]
Alice James	(1848–1892)	American diarist, sister of American psychologist William James and American author Henry James and daughter of American theologian Henry James Sr.; died at age 43		[257]
June Jordan	(1936–2002)	African-American professor of African-American studies, poet and author of 28 books; died at age 62	diagnosed in 1992 at age 56	[258]
Jennifer Lash	(1938–1993)	aka Jini Fiennes; British writer/artist; mother of six (including actors Ralph and Joseph, producers Martha, Magnus, and Sophie and Jacob Fiennes); died at age 55	diagnosed in the 1980s	[259]
Betsy Lehman	(1955–1994)	Boston Globe newspaper columnist, and Maureen Bateman, a teacher, both of whom had advanced breast cancer, but died of medication overdoses at Boston's Dana Farber Institute; the Betsy Lehman Center for Patient Safety and Medical Error Reduction was created in the aftermath of the scandal (Lehman died at age 39 and Bateman died at age 55)		[260]
Elisabeth Leseur	(1866–1914)	born Pauline Élisabeth Arrighi, French mystic and diarist; died at age 47		[261]
Nikolai Leskov	(1831–1895)	male Russian writer; died at age 64
Audre Lorde	(1934–1992)	born Audrey Geraldine Lorde, African-American author; died at age 58		[262]
Geralyn Lucas	(1968–present)	American journalist, television producer, and writer	diagnosed in 1995 at age 27	[263]
Melissa Nathan	(1968–2006)	British novelist; died at age 37	diagnosed in 2001 at age 32; breast cancer recurred in 2003	[264],
Gayle Olinekova	(1953–2003)	Canadian writer, marathon runner, bodybuilder and chiropractor; died at age 50		[265]
Ruth Picardie	(1964–1997)	British writer and columnist for The Observer; died at age 33	diagnosed in October 1996 at age 32	[266]
Barbara Pym	(1913–1980)	British author/writer; died at age 66		[267]
Dina Rabinovitch	(1963–2007)	British journalist for The Guardian and book author; died at age 45	diagnosed in June 2004	[268]
Claire Rayner	(1932–2010)	British journalist; died at age 79	diagnosed in 2002	[269]
Cokie Roberts	(1943–2019)	American journalist		[270]
Betty Rollin	(1936–present)	American author, retired TV correspondent		[271]
May Sarton	(1912–1995)	Belgium-born American poet, novelist, and memoirist; died at age 83		[272]
Carol Shields	(1935–2003)	Canada-based U.S. author; died at age 68		[273]
Susan Sontag	(1933–2004)	born Susan Rosenblatt, American author, diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer, but died due to leukemia traceable to the massive doses of radiotherapy and chemotherapy received decades earlier for her breast cancer; also diagnosed with a rare form of uterine cancer; died at age 71		[274]
Karin Stanford	(1961–present)	African-American writer and professor		[275]
Marie Stopes	(1880–1958)	Scottish author and birth control advocate; died at age 78		[276]
Jacqueline Susann	(1918–1974)	born Jacqueline Susan, American writer; died at age 56	diagnosed in 1962 at age 44; recurred in January 1973 at age 55
Dolly Wilde	(1895–1941)	English socialite, niece of Irish writer Oscar Wilde and friend of American writer Natalie Clifford Barney; died at age 45 of undisclosed causes	diagnosed in 1939	[277]
Kim Yale	(1953–1997)	American writer and editor for multiple comic book companies, including Marvel, DC, First and Warp Graphics		[278]

See also

• List of breast cancer patients by survival status