List of people with breast cancer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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.[1] According to the United States National Cancer Institute, an estimated 321,910 new cases and 42,140 deaths (females only; no estimates for male victims due to size of sampling pool) would occur in the United States in 2026.[2]
Acting, directing, and filmmaking
| Name | Life | Comments | Diagnosis | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kaye Abad | (1982–present) | Filipino actress | diagnosed in 2025 at age 43 | [3] |
| Josephine Abady | (1949–2002) | American stage director, film director, and producer; died at age 52 | [4] | |
| Inga Abel | (1946–2000) | German actress; died at age 53 | [5][6] | |
| Aisha Abimbola | (1970–2018) | Nigerian actress; died at age 47 | [7][8] | |
| Christina Applegate | (1971–present) | American Emmy Award-winning actress | diagnosed in 2008 at age 37 | [9] |
| Luana Anders | (1938–1996) | American film and television actress; died aged 58 | [10] | |
| Sólveig Anspach | (1960–2015) | Icelandic-born French film director and screenwriter; died at age 54 | [11] | |
| Erica Ash | (1977–2024) | American actress, comedian, singer, and model | diagnosed in 2008, cancer recurred in 2018; died in 2024, at the age of 46 | [12][13][14] |
| Dame Eileen Atkins | (1934–present) | British BAFTA, Emmy, and Olivier award-winning actress | diagnosed in 1995 at age 61 | [15][link removed] |
| Fay Baker | (1917–1987) | American actress and novelist; died aged 70 | [16] | |
| Jeanne Bal | (1928–1996) | American actress and model; died aged 67 | [17] | |
| Kaye Ballard | (1925–2019) | American actress, comedian and singer; died from kidney cancer | [18][19] | |
| Brigitte Bardot | (1934–2025) | French actress and animal rights activist | [20][21] | |
| Marie-Christine Barrault | (1944-present) | French actress | [22] | |
| Ali Bastian | (1982-present) | English actress | diagnosed in 2024 at age 42 | [23][24][25] |
| Alexandra Bastedo | (1946–2014) | British model and actress; died at age 67 | [26] | |
| Jeanne Bates | (1918–2007) | American film, radio and television actress; died at age 89 | [27] | |
| Kathy Bates | (1948-present) | Academy Award-winning American actress | diagnosed in 2012 at 64 | [28][29] |
| Pat Battle | (1959-present) | American television journalist and news anchor | diagnosed in 2010 | [30][31][32] |
| Frances Bavier | (1902–1989) | American stage and television actress; died from congestive heart failure, myocardial infarction, coronary artery disease and atherosclerosis, with breast cancer being a supporting factor | [33][34] | |
| Meredith Baxter | (1947-present) | American actress | diagnosed in 1999 at age 52 | [35][36] |
| Allyce Beasley | (1951–present) | American actress | diagnosed in 1998 at 44 | [37][38] |
| Linda Cook | (1948–2012) | American actress; died from undisclosed causes | diagnosed in 1992 | [39] |
| Valérie Benguigui | (1961–2013) | French actress and theater director; died at age 47 | [40] | |
| Ingrid Bergman | (1915–1982) | Academy Award-winning Swedish film and stage actress; died aged 67 | [41] | |
| Juliet Berto | (1947–1990) | French actress, director and screenwriter; died aged 42 | [42] | |
| Bibi Besch | (1942–1996) | Austrian-American actress; died age of 54 | [43] | |
| Aisha Bicknell | (1971–present) | daughter of British actress Rita Tushingham | diagnosed in April 2005 at age 33 | [44] |
| 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 | [45][46][47] |
| Charlotte Cushman | (1816–1876) | American stage actress; died aged 59 | [48] | |
| Patricia Blair | (1933–2013) | American film and television actress; died aged 80 | [49] | |
| 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 | [50] |
| Yelena Bondarchuk | (1962–2009) | Soviet and Russian actress; died aged 47 | [51] | |
| Eileen Brennan | (1932–2013) | American actress; survived breast cancer but later died of bladder cancer | [52] | |
| Mariana Briski | (1965–2014) | born Mariana Marcela Briski, Argentine actress | diagnosed in 2004, later spread to her lungs; died at age 48 | [53] |
| Coral Browne | (1913–1991) | Australian-born American actress; died aged 77 | [54] | |
| Heidi Brühl | (1942–1991) | German actress; died aged 49 | [55] | |
| Janice Burgess | (1952–2024) | American television writer, producer and executive | diagnosed in 2018; died at age 72 | [56][57] |
| Malandra Burrows | (1965–present) | born Malandra Elizabeth Newman, English actress and singer | diagnosed in 2022 at age 56 | [58][59] |
| Analí Cabrera | (1959–2011) | born Ana Luisa Cabrera Villarreal, also known as "Chelita", Peruvian actress, vedette, athlete, and dancer | [60] | |
| Anna Calder-Marshall | (1947–present) | English actress | [61][62][63] | |
| Beverley Callard | (1957–present) | English actress | diagnosed in February 2026 at age 68 | [64][65] |
| Vanessa Bell Calloway | (1957–present) | American actress | diagnosed in 2009 | [66] |
| Anita Carey | (1948–2023) | British actress known for Coronation Street and Doctors; died at age 75 | diagnosed in 2010 | [67][68] |
| Diahann Carroll | (1935–2019) | born Carol Diann Johnson, American Oscar-nominated actress and singer | originally diagnosed in 1997 at age 62, Carroll died of a recurrence of the disease in 2019 at age 84[69] | [70][71] |
| Debra Chasnoff | (1957–2017) | American documentary filmmaker and activist | diagnosed in 2015; died at age 60 | [72][73] |
| Mahima Chaudhry | (1973–present) | Indian actress | diagnosed in 2022 at age 49 | [74] |
| Lois Chiles | (1947–present) | American actress and fashion model | [75] | |
| Melanie Clark Pullen | (1975–2022) | Irish actress, film producer and writer; died at age 46 following battle with breast cancer and diagnosis of a brain tumour; it is unclear if the two cancers were related | diagnosed in 2019 at age 44 | [76][77] |
| Sara Coward | (1948–2017) | English actress and writer; died at age 69 | diagnosed in 2013 at age 65 | [78][79] |
| Yvonne Craig | (1937-2015) | American actress | diagnosed in 2013 at age 76; died at age 78 | [80][81] |
| Norma Crane | (1928–1973) | American stage, film and television actress; died age 44 | [82][83] | |
| Janet Davies | (1927–1986) | English actress (Dad's Army); died aged 59 | [84] | |
| Bette Davis | (1908–1989) | American Oscar-winning actress; died at age 81 | diagnosed in 1983 at age 75 | [85][86] |
| Linda Day | (1938–2009) | American television director; died in 2009, aged 71, after battling leukemia and breast cancer | [87][88][89] | |
| Ruby Dee | (1922–2014) | born Ruby Ann Wallace, American Oscar-nominated actress; died in 2014 from natural causes | diagnosed in 1970 at 48 | Archived 2014-10-09 at the Wayback Machine |
| Shelagh Delaney | (1938–2011) | English dramatist and screenwriter; died at age 72 | [90] | |
| Thérèse DePrez | (1965–2017) | American production designer; died at age 52 | [91][92][93] | |
| Marilou Diaz-Abaya | (1955–2012) | Filipino award-winning film director; died aged 57 | [94] | |
| Shannen Doherty | (1971–2024) | American Saturn-nominated actress | diagnosed in 2015 at age 44; died at age 53 | [95][96] |
| Gail Dolgin | (1945–2010) | American documentary filmmaker; died at age 65 | [97] | |
| 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 | [98][99][100] |
| Regina Dourado | (1952–2012) | Brazilian film and television actress; died at age 52 | [101] | |
| Carmen Duncan | (1942–2019) | Australian actress; died at age 76 | [102] | |
| Sally Dynevor | (1963–present) | British actress | diagnosed in 2009 at age 46 | [103] |
| Julie Ege | (1943–2008) | Norwegian actress and model; died at age 64 | [104] | |
| Jill Eikenberry | (1947–present) | American actress | diagnosed in 1986 at age 39 | |
| Victoria Ekanoye | (1981–present) | English actress | diagnosed in 2021 at age 39 | [105] |
| Belinda Emmett | (1974–2006) | Australian actress; had a recurrence in 2001; died November 11, 2006, at age 32 | diagnosed in 1998 at age 24 | [106][107] |
| Andrea Evans | (1957–2023) | American actress; died at age 66 | diagnosed in 2011 at age 54 | [108] |
| Edie Falco | (1963–present) | American actress | diagnosed in 2003 at age 40 | [109] |
| Sally Farmiloe | (1948–2014) | South Africa-born British actress; died at age 66 | [110] | |
| Jenna Fischer | (1974–present) | American actress | [111] | |
| Danielle Fishel | (1981-present) | American actress | diagnosed in 2024 at age 43 | [112] |
| Lesley Fitz-Simons | (1961–2013) | Scottish actress; died at age 51 | diagnosed in 2009 at age 48 | [113][114] |
| Jane Fonda | (1937–present) | American actress, activist and former fashion model | diagnosed in 2010 at age 73 | [115][116] |
| Wenche Foss | (1917–2011) | Norwegian actress; survived breast cancer; died at age 93 | [117] | |
| Karen Fraction | (1958–2007) | American actress, dancer and model; died aged 49 | [118] | |
| Kay Francis | (1905–1968) | born Katherine Edwina Gibbs, American actress, died at age 63 | diagnosed in 1966 at age 61 | [119][120] |
| Maria Friedman | (1960–present) | British actress and singer | diagnosed in 2005 at age 45 | [121] |
| Helen Gahagan | (1900–1980) | American actress turned politician; died at age 80 | diagnosed in 1972 at age 72; recurred in 1976 | Archived 2012-07-17 at the Wayback Machine |
| 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 | [123] |
| Rebekah Gibbs | (1973–2014) | English actress; died aged 41 | [124] | |
| Louan Gideon | (1955–2014) | American actress and musician; died aged 58 | [125] | |
| Liza Goddard | (1950–present) | English actress | [126] | |
| 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 | |
| Gloria Grahame | (1923-1981) | born Gloria Penelope Hallward, American actress; survived breast cancer, but died at age 58 of stomach cancer and peritonitis | diagnosed in 1974 at age 50 | [citation needed] |
| Vanessa Greene | (1954–2017) | British-American television producer and screenwriter; died at age 63 | [129] | |
| Linda Griffiths | (1953–2014) | Canadian actress and playwright; died aged 57 | [130] | |
| Alvaleta Guess | (1955–1996) | American actress and singer; died at age 40 | [131] | |
| Namrata Singh Gujral | (1976–present) | American actress; later developed lymphoma in 2013 due to effects of prior chemotherapy | diagnosed in 2008 at age | [132][133] |
| Alaina Reed Hall | (1946–2009) | American actress; died aged 63 | [134][135] | |
| Florence Halop | (1923–1986) | American actress; died at age 63 of lung cancer believed to have metastasized from her original breast cancer | [136] | |
| Kipp Hamilton | (1934–1981) | American actress; died at age 45 | [137][138] | |
| Jane Hamsher | (1959–present) | American film producer, author and liberal blogger | [139][140] | |
| Khrystyne Haje | (1968–present) | American actress and businessperson | [141] | |
| Dame Sheila Hancock | (1933–present) | British actress | diagnosed in 1988 at age 55 | [142] |
| 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 | [143] |
| Marica Hase | (1981–present) | Japanese gravure model and adult actress | diagnosed in 2018 at age 37 | [144][145] |
| Grace Helbig | (1985–present) | American comedian, actress and internet personality | [146][147] | |
| Sabina Higgins | (1941–present) | Irish actress, political activist, and wife of former President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins | [148] | |
| Jacqueline Hill | (1929–1993) | British actress; died at age 63 | [149] | |
| Judy Holliday | (1921–1965) | American actress, singer and comedian; died aged 43 | [150][151] | |
| Karina Huff | (1961–2016) | British actress, showgirl and television personality; died at age 55 | [152] | |
| Olivia Hussey | (1951–2024) | (1951–2024; aged 73), British actress; died aged 73 | [153][154] | |
| Diana Hyland | (1936–1977) | born Diane Gentner, American stage and television actress | diagnosed in 1977; died later the same year at age 41 | [155][156] |
| Jill Ireland | (1936–1990) | British actress; died at age 54 | diagnosed in 1984 at age 48 | [157][158] |
| Kate Jackson | (1948–present) | American actress; survived a recurrence in 1989 at age 41 | diagnosed in 1987 at age 39 | [159] |
| Ann Jillian | (1950–present) | born Ann Jura Nauseda, American actress and entertainer | diagnosed in 1985 at age 35 | [160] |
| Jennifer Jones | (1919–2009) | born Phylis Lee Isley, American Oscar-winning actress | survivor; died at age 90 from natural causes | [161] |
| Helen Kane | (1904–1966) | American actress and singer; died at age 62 | [162] | |
| Tzeni Karezi | (1934–1992) | Greek actress; died at age 58 | [163] | |
| June Keithley | (1947–2013) | Filipino actress, journalist and activist; died at age 66 | [164] | |
| Dorothea Kent | (1916–1990) | American film actress; died at aged 74 | [165] | |
| Anne Kirkbride | (1954–2015) | British actress | died in 2015 at age 60 | [166][167] |
| Mao Kobayashi | (1982–2017) | Japanese actress and television presenter; died at age 34 | [168] | |
| Sylva Koscina | (1933–1994) | Yugoslav-born Italian actress; died at age 61 | [169] | |
| Gabriela Kownacka | (1952–2010) | Polish film and television actress; died at age 58 | [170] | |
| Joi Lansing | (1929–1972) | American actress and model; died at age 43 | [171] | |
| Barbara Loden | (1932–1980) | American actress, model and theatre director; died at age 48 | [172] | |
| Lorna Luft | (1952–present) | American actress and singer | [173][174] | |
| Amanda Mealing | (1967–present) | English actress, director, and producer | [175] | |
| Hayley Mills | (1946–present) | English actress | [176] | |
| Koh Chieng Mun | (1960–present) | Singaporean actress | [177] | |
| Cheryl Ladd | (1951-present) | American actress and singer | revealed diagnosis in 2026 at age 74 | [178] |
| Sandra Lee | (1966–present) | American television chef and author | [179] | |
| Rachael Lillis | (1969–2024) | American voice actress and screenwriter; died at age 55 | diagnosed in 2024 at age 54 | [180][181][182] |
| Lar Park Lincoln | (1961–2025) | American actress; died at age 63 | diagnosed in 2008 at age 47 | [183] |
| Sacheen Littlefeather | (1946–2022) | American model who attained notoriety when she delivered Marlon Brando's Oscar rejection speech in 1973; died at age 75 | [184][185] | |
| Sondra Locke | (1944–2018) | American actress and director; died from cardiac arrest related to breast and bone cancers; died at age 74 | [186][187][188][189] | |
| Victoria Longley | (1960–2010) | Australian actress; died aged 49 | [190] | |
| Julia Louis-Dreyfus | (1961-present) | American actress and comedian | [191] | |
| 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 | [192] |
| Ruth Maleczech | (1939–2013) | American avant-garde stage actress; died from breast cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease at age 74 | [193] | |
| Tyler Mane | (1966–present) | Canadian actor and professional wrestler; publicly revealed diagnosis in June 2026 | [194] | |
| Linda Kay Manns | (1965–2008) | American model and businesswoman; died at age 43 | [195] | |
| Maja Maranow | (1961–2016) | German actress; died at age 54 | [196] | |
| Vera Maretskaya | (1906–1978) | Soviet and Russian actress and gourmand; died at age 72 | [197] | |
| Arlene Martel | (1936–2014) | American actress and dancer; died at age 78 primary due to complications from coronary artery bypass surgery but had been battling breast cancer during the last five years of her life | [198] | |
| Jan Maxwell | (1956–2018) | Drama Desk Award-winning American actress and singer; died from meningitis complicated by breast cancer | [199] | |
| Rue McClanahan | (1934–2010) | American Emmy Award-winning actress; reportedly treated successfully and in remission but died in 2010, aged 76, after suffering a stroke and a subsequent brain hemorrhage | diagnosed in 1997 at age 63 | [46][better source needed] |
| Helen McCrory | (1968–2021) | English actress (Peaky Blinders, Harry Potter, Skyfall, The Queen, Doctor Who); died at age 52 | [200] | |
| Hattie McDaniel | (1893–1952) | Academy Award-winning American actress; first African-American to win an Academy Award; died at age 57 | [201][202] | |
| William McGhee | (1930–2007) | American actor; also suffered from colon and prostate cancer throughout his life; died at age 76 | [203] | |
| Amanda Mealing | (1967–present) | British actress | diagnosed in August 2002 at age 35 | Archived 2006-10-19 at the Wayback Machine |
| Sylvia Millecam | (1956–2001) | Dutch actress and comedian; died at age 45 | [204] | |
| Charlotte Mitchell | (1926–2012) | English actress and poet. She died from pneumonia, after previously suffering from breast cancer and myeloma at age 85 | [205] | |
| Yūko Mizutani | (1964–2016) | Japanese actress, voice artist, narrator and singer; died at age 51 | [206] | |
| Mary Ann Mobley | (1937–2014) | American actress, television personality and Miss America (1959); died at age 77 | [207] | |
| Karen Montgomery | (1949–2015) | American actress and film producer; died at age 66 | [208] | |
| 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 | [209] |
| Laila Morse | (1945–present) | English actress | [210] | |
| Kitten Natividad | (1948–2022) | born Francesca Isabel Natividad, Mexican actress and model; died of kidney failure at age 74 | diagnosed in 1999 at age 51 | [link removed][211] |
| 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 | [212] |
| Phyllis Newman | (1933–2019) | American Tony Award-winning actress and singer; died from a lung disorder. | diagnosed in 1983 at age 50 | [213][214] |
| Cynthia Nixon | (1966–present) | American actress | diagnosed in 2006 at age 40 | [215] |
| Tig Notaro | (1971–present) | born Mathilde O'Callaghan Notaro, American comedian and actress | diagnosed in 2012 at 41 | [216] |
| Kim Novak | (1933–present) | American film and television actress | [217] | |
| Nutan | (1936–1991) | full name Nutan Samarth-Bahl (born Samarth), Indian actress who worked in Hindi films; died at age 54 | [218][219][220] | |
| Eilish O'Carroll | (1952–present) | Irish actress, writer, and comedian | [221] | |
| Elizabeth Owens | (1928–2005) | German-born American stage actress; died at age 77 | [222] | |
| Dame Elaine Paige | (1945–present) | English actress and singer | [223] | |
| Sarah Parkinson | (1962–2003) | British actress, writer and television and radio producer; died at age 41 | [224] | |
| Heather Peace | (1975–present) | English actress and singer | [225][226] | |
| Susan Peretz | (1940–2004) | American film and television actress; died at age 64 | [227] | |
| Patrícia Pillar | (1964–present) | Brazilian actress | diagnosed in 2001 | [228] |
| Kelly Preston | (1962–2020) | born Kelly Kamalelehua Smith, American actress and model | diagnosed in 2018; died in 2020 at age 57 | [229] |
| Nancy Priddy | (1941–present) | American retired actress and singer-songwriter; mother of American actress Christina Applegate | diagnosed in 1978; recurrence in 1986 | [230] |
| Kay Purcell | (1963–2020) | English actress; died at age 57 from breast and liver cancer as a result of metastasis | [231] | |
| Giuliana Rancic | (1974–present) | Italian-American television personality and infotainer | [232] | |
| Lynn Redgrave | (1943–2010) | British-American Golden Globe Award-winning and Oscar-nominated actress | diagnosed in 2002 at age 59, died in 2010 at age 67 | [233] |
| Alma Reville | (1899–1982) | Alma Lucy Reville, Lady Hitchcock, English-born American assistant film director, actress, and wife of film director Alfred Hitchcock; died of natural causes at age 82 | [234] | |
| 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 at age 65 | diagnosed in 1995 at age 52 | [235][236] |
| Gina Riley | (1961–present) | Australian actress and singer | [237] | |
| Crystal-Donna Roberts | (1984–2025) | South African actress, television presenter, and writer (The Endless River, Arendsvlei); died at age 40 | [238] | |
| Toby Robins | (1931–1986) | Canadian actress, television personality and journalist; died at age 55 | [239] | |
| Krysta Rodriguez | (1984–present) | American actress and singer | [240] | |
| Lorena Rojas | (1971–2015) | Mexican actress and singer-songwriter; died at age 44 | [241] | |
| Roxie Roker | (1929–1995) | American actress and mother of singer-songwriter Lenny Kravitz; died aged 66 | [242] | |
| Richard Roundtree | (1942–2023) | American actor; treated successfully for breast cancer but died of pancreatic cancer in 2023 at age 81 | diagnosed in 1993 at age 51 | [243] |
| Rosalind Russell | (1907–1976) | American actress, comedienne, screenwriter and singer (His Girl Friday); died at age 69 | [244] | |
| Jennifer Saunders | (1958–present) | English actress, comedian, and screenwriter. | [245][246] | |
| Irene Mayer Selznick | (1907–1990) | American socialite and theatrical producer; died aged 83 | [247][248][249] | |
| Tracy Shaw | (1973–present) | English actress and singer | [250] | |
| Susan Sheridan | (1947–2015) | English actress and voice artist; died at age 68 | [251] | |
| Morag Siller | (1969–2016) | Scottish actress, voice artist and radio personality; died at age 46 | [252] | |
| Jean Simmons | (1929–2010) | British-American actress; was treated successfully for breast cancer, but later died at age 80 from lung cancer | [253] | |
| Susan Raab Simonson | (1969–2006) | American stage actress and theatre producer; died at age 37 | [254] | |
| Jaclyn Smith | (1947–present) | American actress and businesswoman | diagnosed in 2002 at age 55 | [255] |
| Dame Maggie Smith | (1934–2024) | British Oscar, Tony and Emmy award-winning actress | diagnosed in 2008 at age 74; died of undisclosed causes at age 89 | [256][257] |
| Suzanne Somers | (1946–2023) | born Suzanne Marie Mahoney; American actress and businesswoman | diagnosed in 2001 at age 55, died in 2023 at age 76 | [258][46] |
| Danielle Spencer | (1965–2025) | American actress and veterinarian; died from a cardiac arrest caused by an unrelated stomach cancer | Diagnosed in 2014 | [259] |
| Wendie Jo Sperber | (1958–2005) | American actress, founded WeSPARK Cancer Support Center following diagnosis | diagnosed in 1997; died in 2005 at age 46 | [260][261][262] |
| Srividya | (1953–2006) | Indian actress; died at age 53 | [263] | |
| Koo Stark | (1956–present) | born Kathleen Norris Stark, American former soft-porn actress and photographer; founded Keep A Breast cancer organization | diagnosed in 2002 at age 46 |
Archived 2008-05-12 at the Wayback Machine [264] |
| Mindy Sterling | (1953–present) | American film, television and voice actress | [265] | |
| Pat Stevens | (1945–2010) | American actress; died aged 64 | [266] | |
| Susan Strasberg | (1938–1999) | American actress (The Diary of Anne Frank); died aged 60 | [267] | |
| Marcia Strassman | (1948–2014) | American actress and singer; died aged 66 | [268] | |
| Gloria Stuart | (1910–2010) | born Gloria Stewart; American Oscar-nominated actress; died in 2010 at age 100 from unrelated causes | diagnosed circa 1982 | [269] |
| Stephanie Swift | (1972–present) | American pornographic film actress and 2006 AVN Hall of Fame inductee | diagnosed in 2009 at age 37 | [270] |
| Joan Sydney | (1936–2022) | English-born Australian actress | diagnosed in 2015 | [271] |
| Wanda Sykes | (1964–present) | American actress, stand-up comedian and writer | diagnosed in 2011 at age 47 | [272] |
| Myfanwy Talog | (1944–1995) | Welsh actress; died aged 50 | [273] | |
| Yoshiko Tanaka | (1956–2011) | Japanese actress, member of Candies | diagnosed in 1992 at age 37; died in 2011 at age 55 | [274] |
| Gwen Taylor | (1939–present) | English actress | [275] | |
| Sam Taylor-Johnson | (1967–present) | English filmmaker, director and photographer | [276][277] | |
| Maura Tierney | (1965-present) | American actress | diagnosed in 2009 at age 44 | [278][279] |
| Penny Thomson | (1950–2007) | Scottish stage and television director; died aged 56 | [280] | |
| Vanessa Trump | (1977–present) | American model and ex-wife of American businessman Donald Trump Jr., eldest child of the 45th and 47th President of the United States Donald Trump | diagnosed in May 2026 | [281] |
| Louise Troy | (1933–1994) | American stage and television actress; died aged 60 | [282] | |
| Danitra Vance | (1954–1994) | American comedian and actress; died at age 40 | diagnosed in 1990 at age 36 | [283] |
| Vivian Vance | (1909–1979) | born Vivian Roberta Jones; American actress and singer; died at age 70 from breast and bone cancer | diagnosed in 1973 at age 64 | [284] |
| Mary Wickes | (1910–1995) | American actress; died at age 85; she suffered from numerous ailments in the last years of her life, including kidney failure, massive gastrointestinal bleeding, severe hypotension and ischemic cardiomyopathy, with contributing causes listed as anemia and breast cancer | [citation needed] | |
| Marcia Wallace | (1942–2013) | American comedic actress, game show panelist, and voice artist; died at age 70 from pneumonia, with breast cancer as a supporting factor | diagnosed in 1985 at age 43 | [285][286][287][288] |
| Liza Wang | (1947-present) | Hong Kong television personality, actress, singer and diva | [289] | |
| Anne Wiazemsky | (1947–2017) | French actress and novelist; died at age 70 | [290] | |
| Rita Wilson | (1956-present) | American actress, singer and producer; wife of Tom Hanks | diagnosed in 2015 at 59 | [291][292] |
| Samantha Womack | (1972–present) | born Samantha Zoe Janus; British actress and singer | diagnosed in 2022 at age 49 | [293] |
| Gretchen Wyler | (1932–2007) | American actress, singer and dancer | [294] | |
| Chen Xiaoxu | (1965–2007) | Chinese actress and Buddhist nun; died at age 41 | [295] | |
| Aleksandra Yakovleva | (1957–2022) | born Aleksandra Evgenievna Ivanes; Soviet and Russian actress, and, later, a Russian rail transport executive and businesswoman; died at age 64 | diagnosed in 2017 | [296] |
| Laura Ziskin | (1950–2011) | American film and television producer; died at age 61 | [297] |
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 | [298] |
| Mary-Ellis Bunim | (1946–2004) | American film/TV producer; died at age 57 | diagnosed in 1995 at age 48 | [299] |
| Nayana Ferguson | (1973-present) | African-American businesswoman; first Black woman to own a tequila company; also survived pancreatic cancer in 2005 | diagnosed in 2012 | [300] |
| Fiamma Ferragamo | (1941–1998) | Italian shoe designer and businesswoman; died at age 57 | diagnosed in 1989 at age 49 | [301] |
| Carly Fiorina | (1954-present) | American business executive | [302] | |
| Georgia Frontiere | (1927–2008) | American businesswoman and entertainer; died aged 80 | [303] | |
| Jacqueline Gold | (1960–2023) | English businesswoman and Chief Executive Officer of Ann Summers; died aged 62 | [304] | |
| Anne-Claire Goulon | (1974–2026) | French businesswoman; died aged 51 | [305] | |
| Ruth Handler | (1916–2002) | born Ruth Marianna Mosko, American creator of Barbie and Nearly Me breast prosthetics; she survived breast cancer in the 1970s but died following colon cancer surgery at age 85 | diagnosed in 1970 at age 54 | [306][307][308][309] |
| Teresa Heinz | (1938-present) | Portuguese-American businesswoman, philanthropist and wife of American politician John Kerry | [310] | |
| Mary Sue Hubbard | (1931–2002) | American businesswoman, religious figure and third wife of L. Ron Hubbard, founder of Dianetics; died aged 71 | [311] | |
| 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 | [312][313] |
| Helen Kushnick | (1945–1996) | American talent agent and television producer; died at age 51 | diagnosed in 1987 at age 42 | [314] |
| Evelyn Lauder | (1936–2011) | Austrian-American businesswoman, socialite, philanthropist and breast cancer awareness activist; died from ovarian cancer at age 75 | [315] | |
| Hala Moddelmog | (1956–present) | American president and CEO of Susan G. Komen for the Cure | diagnosed in 2001 at age 45 | [316][317] |
Miscellaneous
| Name | Life | Comments | Diagnosis | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anna Abrikosova | (1882–1936) | Also known as Mother Catherine of Siena, prominent Russian Greek Catholic religious sister | [318] | |
| Phil Alderson | (1971–present) | British male breast cancer survivor and awareness advocate who has worked with Breast Cancer Now, Macmillan Cancer Support, and Future Dreams charities | diagnosed in 2016 at age 44 | [319],[320]
|
| Tun Endon Mahmood Ambak | (1940–2005) | Wife of the 5th Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi; died at age 64. Her twin sister, Noraini, also died from breast cancer in 2003. | [325] | |
| Judi Bari | (1949–1997) | American environmentalist and labor leader; died at age 47 | diagnosed in 1996 at age 46 | [326] |
| Céline Bellot | (1970–2026) | Canadian criminologist and academic; died aged 55 | [327] | |
| Betty Berzon | (1928–2006) | American psychotherapist and lesbian activist; died at age 78 | [328][329] | |
| Audrey Best | (1960–2011) | Montreal-based French lawyer and second wife of Lucien Bouchard; died at age 50 | [330] | |
| Maggie Borg | (1952–2004) | Maltese activist for environmental and social rights; died at age 52 | [331] | |
| Bimba Bosé | (1975–2017) | Italian-born Spanish model and singer; died aged 41 | [332] | |
| 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 | [333][334] |
| Michelle Brunner | (1953–2011) | British bridge player, writer and teacher; died at age 57 | [335] | |
| Christine Buckley | (1946–2014) | Irish activist and campaigner; died at age 67 | [336][337] | |
| Diana Capponi | (1953–2014) | Canadian mental health activist; died at age 61 | [338][339] | |
| Yvonne Carter | (1959–2009) | British general practitioner and academician; died at age 50 | [340] | |
| 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 | [341] |
| Stephen Philip Cohen | (1945–2017) | American academic and scholar on Middle Eastern affairs; died at age 71 | [342] | |
| Cheryl Cohen-Greene | (1944–present) | American sexual surrogate partner, speaker, and author | [343] | |
| Flick Colby | (1946–2011) | American dancer, choreographer and founder member of Pan's People; died from bronchopneumonia at age 65 | [344] | |
| Katharine Ellis Coman | (1857–1915) | American social activist and professor | diagnosed in 1911 around age 54; died in 1915, aged 57 | |
| Della Davidson | (1952–2012) | American modern dancer, choreographer and dance professor; died at age 60 | [345] | |
| Priscilla Davis | (1942–2001) | American socialite; died at age 59 | [346] | |
| Martina Davis-Correia | (1967–2011) | American civil rights and anti-capital punishment activist; died aged 44 | [347] | |
| J. D. Disalvatore | (1966–2017) | American LGBT film and television producer/director and gay rights activist; died at age 51 | [348] | |
| Sister Dora | (1832–1878) | English nun and nurse; died aged 46 | [349] | |
| Amy Dowden | (1990–present) | Welsh professional ballroom and Latin American dancer | [350] | |
| Linda Evangelista | (1965–present) | Canadian supermodel | [351] | |
| 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 | |
| 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 | [352] |
| Kristina Fetters | (1980–2014) | American convicted murderer; died aged 34 | [353] | |
| Jean B. Fletcher | (1915–1965) | American architect; died at age 50 | [citation needed] | |
| Saint Lucy Filippini | (1672–1732) | Italian Catholic nun and educator; died aged 69 | [354] | |
| Karen Wynn Fonstad | (1945–2005) | American cartographer and academic; died at age 59 | [355] | |
| Syvilla Fort | (1917–1975) | African-American dancer and choreographer; died at age 58 | diagnosed in 1974 at age 57 | [356] |
| Loie Fuller | (1862–1928) | French-based American dancer and choreographer; died at age 65 | [357] | |
| Barbara Gittings | (1932–2007) | American LGBT rights activist; died at age 74 | [358] | |
| Fannie R. Givens | (died 1947)[359] | born Fannie Rosalind Hicks, American advocate, policewoman, and artist | ||
| Rosalie Gower | (1931–2013) | Canadian nurse, civil servant and city councillor; survived breast cancer, later died from a stroke | [360] | |
| Beverly Hall | (1946–2015) | American educator; died aged 68 | [361] | |
| Kristin Hallenga | (1985–2024) | West German-born British news columnist turned activist for raising awareness about breast cancer who founded the charity CoppaFeel!; died at age 38 | diagnosed at age 23[362][363][364] | |
| Fannie Lou Hamer | (1917–1977) | born Fannie Lou Townsend, African-American anti-segregation activist; died at age 59 | diagnosed in 1976 at age 58 | [365] |
| Klara Pölzl Hitler | (1860–1907) | Austrian mother of Adolf Hitler; died at age 47 | [366] | |
| Anita Hoffman | (1942–1998) | American Yippie activist, writer and prankster; died aged 56 | [367] | |
| Connie Johnson | (1977–2017) | Australian philanthropist; suffered from bone cancer at age 11, uterine cancer at age 22, and finally breast cancer at age 33; died from liver cancer at age 40 | [368][369] | |
| Jean Keene | (1923–2009) | born Jean Marie Hodgdon, rodeo trick rider and "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. | [370] |
| Kat Kinkade | (1930–2008) | Co-founder of the Twin Oaks experimental utopian community near Charlottesville, Virginia; died at age 77 | [371] | |
| 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 | [372][373][334] |
| Shari Lewis | (1933–1998) | American ventriloquist, puppeteer, entertainer and singer; survived breast cancer, but later died from uterine cancer at age 65 | [374][375] | |
| 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 | Archived 2015-08-10 at the Wayback Machine |
| Dame Helen Metcalf | (1946–2003) | British educator, academic and politician; died at age 57 | [376] | |
| Claire Morissette | (1950–2007) | Quebec-based Canadian activist and cycling advocate; died aged 57 | [377] | |
| John W. Nick | (1933–1991) | American male breast cancer patient and activist in whose name The John W. Nick Foundation was established; died aged 58 | [378][379] | |
| Sister Dora Pattison | (1832–1878) | born Dorothy Wyndlow Pattison, Anglican nun and nurse; died at age 46 | diagnosed in 1877 | [380] |
| Tatjana Patitz | (1966–2023) | German supermodel and actress; died at age 56 | [381] | |
| Ellen Pence | (1948–2012) | American sociologist and social activist against domestic violence; died aged 63 | [382][383] | |
| Nancy M. Petry | (1968–2018) | American psychologist; died aged 49 | [384] | |
| Dame Rosemary Rue | (1928–2004) | British physician, civil servant and one-time regional general manager and medical officer of the Oxford Regional Health Authority; died from bowel cancer at age 76 | [385][386] | |
| Ann Marie Rogers | (1952–2009) | British campaigner who won a landmark legal battle against the British NHS to allow people with cancer access to the drug Herceptin; died aged 57 | [387][388] | |
| Ann Romney | (1949–present) | American philanthropist, author and wife of American U.S. senator Mitt Romney; she was diagnosed with mammary ductal carcinoma in situ and had a lumpectomy | [389] | |
| Carolyn Rovee-Collier | (1942–2014) | American psychologist, academic and educator; also suffered from multiple sclerosis; died at age 72 | [390] | |
| Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick | (1950–2009) | American academic scholar in gender studies and queer theory; died at age 58 | [391] | |
| Naomi Sims | (1948–2009) | American model, businesswoman and author; died aged 61 | [392] | |
| Yumiko Shige | (1965–2018) | Japanese sailor; died at age 53 | [393] | |
| Abigail Adams Smith | (1765-1813) | Daughter of John Adams and Abigail Adams, older sister to John Quincy Adams. She had a mastectomy performed by John Warren without anesthesia on October 8, 1811. | diagnosed in 1810
died at age 48 |
[394][395] |
| Karin Spaink | (1957–2026) | Dutch journalist, social critic, and feminist; died at age 68 | diagnosed at age 48 in 2006 | [396] |
| Athena Starwoman | (1945–2004) | world-famous astrologer, columnist for Vogue and Woman's Day; TV commentator; died at age 59 | [397][398] | |
| Deborah Lynn Steinberg | (1961–2017) | American-British academic, author, educator and sociologist; died aged 55 | diagnosed in 2007; recurrence in 2014 | [399][400] |
| Lynne Stewart | (1939–2017) | born Lynne Irene Feltham, American lawyer and activist; died at age 77 | diagnosed in 2005 at age 66 | |
| Jennie Faulding Taylor | (1843–1904) | British Protestant missionary to China; died aged 60 | [401] | |
| 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 | [402] |
| Carol Tomlinson-Keasey | (1942–2009) | American psychologist and educator; died at age 66 | [403] | |
| Juliette Gordon Low | (1860–1927 | American founder of Girl Scouts of the USA; died at age 67 | [404] | |
| Cynthia Lufkin | (1962–2013) | American philanthropist, cancer research advocate and co-chairwoman of The Breast Cancer Research Foundation; died at age 51 | [405] | |
| Marie-Azélie Guérin Martin | (1831–1877) | French laywoman and mother of St Thérèse de Lisieux; died at age 45 | [406] | |
| Hendrikje van Andel-Schipper | (1890–2005) | Dutch supercentenarian who was the "World's Oldest Person" from May 29, 2004 until her death on August 30, 2005. Successfully treated for breast cancer at the age of 100; later died from an unrelated stomach cancer at age 115 | [407] | |
| Mary Ann Coady Weinand | (1959–2007) | American psychiatrist; died at age 47 | [408] | |
| Dorothy Wilde | (1895–1941) | Anglo-Irish socialite and niece of Oscar Wilde; died at age 45 | [409] |
Music
| Name | Life | Comments | Diagnosis | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shammi Akhtar | (1957–2018) | Bangladeshi playback singer; died at age 60 | [410] | |
| Chrissy Amphlett | (1959–2013) | Australian musician and actress; died from breast cancer and multiple sclerosis aged 53 | [411] | |
| A-Sun | (1975–2009) | Taiwanese Mandopop singer-songwriter; died at age 34 | diagnosed in 2008 at age 33 | Archived 2014-12-10 at the Wayback Machine |
| Anastacia | (1968–present) | born Anastacia Lyn Newkirk, American singer | diagnosed in 2003 at age 34 | [412][413] |
| Rim Banna | (1966–2018) | Palestinian singer, composer and activist; died aged 51 | [414] | |
| Rajae Belmlih | (1962–2007) | Moroccan-Emirati singer; died at age 45 | [415] | |
| Rachel Bissex | (1956–2005) | American folk singer-songwriter; died aged 48 | [416] | |
| Helen Blackwood, Baroness Dufferin and Claneboye | (1807–1867) | British songwriter, composer, poet and author; died aged 60 | [citation needed] | |
| Blanche Calloway | (1902–1978) | American jazz singer, composer and bandleader; died aged 76 | [417] | |
| Phyliss Carr | (1939–2006) | American singer (The Quin-Tones); died aged 66 | [418] | |
| Agnes Chan | (1955–present) | Hong Kong-born Japanese singer, television personality, university professor, essayist and novelist. | diagnosed in 2007 | [419] |
| Beth Nielsen Chapman | (1958–present) | American singer-songwriter | diagnosed in 2000 | [420][421] |
| Susan Chilcott | (1963–2003) | English soprano; died age of 40 | [422] | |
| Lili Chookasian | (1921–2012) | Armenian-American contralto. She survived breast cancer twice during her lifetime; died from natural causes aged 90 | [423] | |
| Odia Coates | (1941–1991) | African-American singer; died at age 49 | died following a four-year battle | [424][425] |
| Doris Coley | (1941–2000) | African-American singer (one of The Shirelles); died at age 58 | [426] | |
| Teresa Cornelys | (c. 1723–1797) | born Anna Maria Teresa Imer, Italian operatic soprano; died in Fleet Prison, London in 1797 at age 73 or 74 | [427][428] | |
| Beverley Craven | (1963–present) | British singer-songwriter ("Promise Me") | [429] | |
| Linda Creed | (1949–1986) | American songwriter; died at age 37 | diagnosed at age 26 in 1975 | [430][431] |
| Peter Criss | (1945–present) | born Peter George Criscuola, American musician (Kiss drummer) | diagnosed at age 62 in 2008 | [432][433] |
| 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 | [434] |
| 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 | [435][436] |
| Delia Derbyshire | (1937–2001) | English pianist and composer of electronic music; died from kidney failure while recovering from surgery | [437] | |
| Lhasa de Sela | (1972–2010) | Mexican-American-Canadian singer-songwriter; died aged 37 | [438] | |
| 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 | |
| Melissa Etheridge | (1961–present) | American singer/songwriter and lesbian rights activist whose grandmother and aunt died from breast cancer | diagnosed in 2004 at age 43 | [439][440] |
| Marianne Faithfull | (1946–2025) | British singer/actress | diagnosed in 2006 at age 59 | [441] |
| Kathleen Ferrier | (1912–1953) | English contralto; died at age 41 | diagnosed in 1951 at age 38 | [442][443][444] |
| Catrin Finch | (1980–present) | Welsh harpist, arranger, composer and former Royal Harpist | [445] | |
| 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 | |
| France Gall | (1947–2018) | French yé-yé singer and winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 1965; died from an infection complicated by cancer of an undisclosed nature | [446] | |
| Nanci Griffith | (1953–2021) | American singer/songwriter | diagnosed in 1996 at age 43 | [447] |
| Kim Gordon | (1953–present) | American musician, vocalist, visual artist, record producer, video director, fashion designer and actress | [448] | |
| Sarah Harding | (1981–2021) | born Sarah Nicole Hardman, English singer, model and actress, died at age 39 | diagnosed in 2020 at age 38 | [449][450] |
| Junko Hirotani | (1956–2020) | Japanese singer; died at age 63 | [451] | |
| Shirley Horn | (1934–2005) | American jazz singer; also suffered from diabetes and arthritis; died at age 71 | [452] | |
| 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 | |
| Jessie J | (1988–present) | born Jessica Ellen Cornish, English singer-songwriter | diagnosed in 2025 at age 37 | [453] |
| Floor Jansen | (1981–present) | Dutch metal vocalist | diagnosed in 2022 at age 41 | |
| Jocelyne Jocya | (1942–2003) | French singer-songwriter and children's rights advocate; died aged 61 | [454] | |
| Puma Jones | (1953–1990) | American singer; died aged 36 | [455] | |
| Kaori Kawamura | (1971–2009) | Soviet-born Japanese pop singer; died aged 38 | [456] | |
| Helen Keane | (1923–1996) | American music producer and manager; died at age 73 | [457] | |
| Irene Kral | (1932–1978) | American jazz singer; died at age 46 | diagnosed in 1972 at age 40 | [458] |
| Pastelle LeBlanc | (1979/1980–2022) | Canadian folk musician; died at age 42 | diagnosed in 2020 | |
| Lorraine Hunt Lieberson | (1954–2006) | American mezzo-soprano opera singer; died at age 52; in 2000 her younger sister Alexis also died due to breast cancer | diagnosed in 2000 at age 46 | [459][460] |
| 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 54 | [461] |
| Susannah McCorkle | (1946–2001) | American jazz singer; survived breast cancer but suffered for many years from clinical depression and committed suicide by jumping off the balcony of her apartment in Manhattan at age 55 | [462] | |
| Kylie Minogue | (1968–present) | Australian singer and actress. Sister of Dannii Minogue. | diagnosed in 2005 at age 36 | [463] |
| 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 | , [464] |
| Dame Hinewehi Mohi | (1964–present) | New Zealand musician and producer | diagnosed in 2011 | [465] |
| Charlotte Moorman | (1933–1991) | American cellist and performance artist; died at age 57 | diagnosed in the late 1970s in her 40s | [466] |
| Phyllis Nelson | (1950–1998) | American singer; died aged 47 | [467] | |
| Dame Olivia Newton-John | (1948–2022) | British-Australian singer, actress and activist; died at age 73 | diagnosed in 1992 at age 44 | [468][469] |
| Nightbirde | (1990–2022) | stage name of Jane Kristen Marczewski, American singer-songwriter; died at age 31 | [470] | |
| Marni Nixon | (1930–2016) | American ghost singer, soprano, voice artist and actress; died at age 86 | [471] | |
| 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 | [472][473] |
| Linda Nolan | (1959–2025) | Irish singer, actress and former member of the 1970s pop band, The Nolans; died at age 65 from double pneumonia secondary to breast cancer that had metastasised to her brain, pelvis, and liver | diagnosed in 2006 at age 46 | [474][475][476] |
| Screechy Peach | (1959–2007) | American singer-songwriter; died aged 47 | [477] | |
| 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 | [478] |
| Raylene Rankin | (1960–2012) | Canadian singer (The Rankin Family); died at age 52 | [479] | |
| Sandra Reemer | (1950–2017) | Indo-Dutch singer and television presenter; died at age 66 | [480] | |
| Rita Reys | (1924–2013) | Dutch jazz singer who received the title of "Europe's First Lady of Jazz" at the 1960 French Jazz Festival of Juan-les-Pins; died from a stroke at age 88 | [481][482] | |
| Minnie Riperton | (1947–1979) | American singer-songwriter | diagnosed in 1976 at age 29 | [483] |
| Poly Styrene | (1957–2011) | born Marianne Joan Elliott-Said, British singer | treated for breast cancer, which spread to her spine and lungs; died at age 53 | [484] |
| Calypso Rose | (1940–present) | Tobagonian calypso musician | [485][486] | |
| Tara Simmons | (1984–2019) | Australian musician | [487] | |
| Carly Simon | (1945–present) | American singer | diagnosed in 1998 at age 53 | [488][489] |
| Lucy Simon | (1940–2022) | American singer and composer | died at age 82 | [490][491] |
| Katarzyna Sobczyk | (1945–2010) | Polish singer; died aged 65 | [492] | |
| 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 | [493][494][495] |
| Dusty Springfield | (1939–1999) | born Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien, British songwriter/singer; died at age 59 | diagnosed in 1994 at age 54 | [496][497][498] |
| Kaye Stevens | (1932–2011) | American singer and actress (Days of Our Lives); died at age 79 | [499] | |
| Ruth Ann Swenson | (1963–present) | American operatic soprano | diagnosed in 2006 at age 43 | [500] |
| Dame Jools Topp | (1958–2026) | born Julie Bethridge Topp, New Zealand folk singer and activist; one of the Topp Twins | diagnosed in 2006 at age 48; died at age 68. | [501][502][503][504] |
| Dame Lynda Topp | (1958–present) | born Lynda Bethridge Topp, New Zealand folk singer and activist; one of the Topp Twins | diagnosed in 2006 at age 48 | [501][502] |
| 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 | [505] |
| Dawn Upshaw | (1960–present) | American operatic soprano diva | diagnosed in 2006 at age 46 | [506][507] |
| Linda Waterfall | (1950–2019) | American singer-songwriter. Survived breast cancer but died aged 69 following an undisclosed long illness. | [508] | |
| Yao Beina | (1981–2015) | Chinese singer-songwriter. | [509] |
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 | [510] |
| 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 | [511][512] |
| Barbara Allen | (1961–present) | American politician, Kansas State Senator | diagnosed in 2005 | [513][514] |
| Asma al-Assad | (1975-present) | Former First Lady of Syria from 2000 to 2024. Wife of ousted former President Bashar al-Assad. Survived breast cancer a year after her diagnosis.[515] | diagnosed in 2018 | |
| Rose Bird | (1936–1999) | American judge, first female Chief Justice of California, and the first/only (to date) Chief Justice in California history to lose a retention election; died at age 63 | diagnosed in 1976 at age 40 | [516] |
| Dame Joyanne Bracewell | (1934–2007) | Judge of the Family Division of the High Court of Justice (UK); died at age 72 | ||
| Rhona Brankin | (1950–present) | Scottish politician and Member of the Scottish Parliament | diagnosed in 2000s | [517][518] |
| Edward Brooke | (1919–2015) | male African-American former U.S. Senator of Massachusetts; died at age 95 of natural causes | diagnosed in 2002 at age 83 | [519] |
| Robin Carnahan | (1961–present) | American politician, Missouri Secretary of State | diagnosed in 2006 | [520] |
| Stella Chen | (1950–2025) | Taiwanese politician; died aged 75 | [521][522] | |
| 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 | [523] |
| 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 | [524][525] |
| Carol Connor | (1950–2004) | American judge; died age 54 | [526] | |
| Margaret "Maggie" Daley | (1943–2011) | born Margaret Ann Corbett, wife of American politician Richard M. Daley; First Lady of Chicago; died at age 68 | diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer in 2002 | [527] |
| Virgilia D'Andrea | (1888–1933) | Italian political activist and poet; died aged 45 | [528] | |
| Pat Danner | (1934–present) | American politician | [529] | |
| Jo Ann Davis | (1950–2007) | born Jo Ann Sides, American politician; died at age 57 | diagnosed in September 2005 at age 55 | [530] |
| Sandra Deal | (1942–2022) | born Emilie Sandra Dunagan, American education advocate; first lady of Georgia (2011–2019); died at age 80 | diagnosed in January 2018° | [dead link][531] |
| Mary Beth Dolin | (1936–1985) | born Mary Elisabeth Brugger, American-Canadian politician and activist; died at age 49 | [532] | |
| Peggy Duff | (1910–1981) | born Margaret Doreen Eames, British political activist and organiser of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament; died at age 71 | [permanent dead link] | |
| Eileen Dugan | (1945–1996) | American politician; Brooklyn, New York State Assemblywoman; died at age 51 | diagnosed in 1992 at age 37 | |
| 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 | [533] |
| Lorraine Elliott | (1943–2014) | Australian politician; died aged 70 | [534] | |
| 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 | [535] |
| Rita Fan | (1945–present) | Hong Kong politician | [536] | |
| Kaci Kullmann Five | (1951–2017) | Norwegian politician; died aged 65 | [537] | |
| 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 | [538][539][540] |
| Jennie Formby | (1960–present) | British trade unionist and politician | [541] | |
| 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 | [542] |
| Luisa Gándara | (1954–2023) | Puerto Rican politician, first lady (2005–2009) and member of the House of Representatives (2013–2017); died at age 69 in 2023 | diagnosed in 2011 | [543] |
| Jane Garrett | (1973–2022) | Australian politician | [544] | |
| Megan Lloyd George | (1902–1966) | born Megan Arvon George, Welsh politician and the first female Member of Parliament (MP) for a Welsh constituency; died at age 64 in 1966 | ||
| Anne Grommerch | (1970–2016) | French politician, member of the National Assembly of France | [545] | |
| Pia Hallström | (1961–2016) | Swedish politician, MP for Värmland (2010–2016); died 55 | [546] | |
| 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 | [547] |
| Cathy Harvin | (1953–2010) | American politician | [548][549] | |
| Heidi Heitkamp | (1955–present) | North Dakota politician and lawyer; United States Senator of North Dakota from 2013 to 2019 | diagnosed in 2000 at age 45 | [550] |
| Ángela Hernández | (1990–2022) | Colombian lawyer, journalist, and politician; died at age 31 | diagnosed in 2020 at age 29 | [551][552] |
| Janette Howard | (1944–present) | born Janette Parker, wife of Australian Prime Minister John Howard | diagnosed in 1996 at age 52 | |
| Melanie Johnson | (1955–present) | British Labour politician, former Member of Parliament | [553] | |
| Susan Kadis | (1953–present) | Canadian Member of Parliament | diagnosed in 1995 at age 42 | [554] |
| Vera Katz | (1933–2017) | American politician, first female Speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives, and 45th Mayor of Portland, Oregon; was later diagnosed with adenosarcoma, and died from leukemia. | [555] | |
| Joan Bennett Kennedy | (1936–2025) | born Virginia Joan Bennett, former wife of late Senator Edward M. Kennedy (Massachusetts); died at age 89 of dementia | diagnosed in 2005 at age 68 | [556][557][558] |
| Angela King | (1938–2007) | Jamaican diplomat; died at aged 68 | [559] | |
| Lynne Kosky | (1958–2014) | Australian politician; died aged 56 | [560] | |
| Jewel Lafontant | (1922–1997) | American politician and activist; died at age 75 | [561][562] | |
| Joy Langan | (1943–2009) | Canadian politician and writer; died at age 66 | [563] | |
| Peg Lautenschlager | (1955–2018) | American attorney, politician and activist; died at age 62 | [564] | |
| Laura Liu | (1966–2016) | American judge; died at age 49 | [565] | |
| Marilyn Lloyd | (1929–2018) | American politician and businesswoman; died at age 89 | [566] | |
| 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 | [567][568] |
| Carol Los Mansmann | (1942–2002) | born Carol Los, American lawyer, prosecutor, and judge; died at age 59 | diagnosed in 1989 | [569] |
| Judy Eason McIntyre | (1945–present) | African-American politician, Oklahoma State Senator | diagnosed in August 2006 | [570][571] |
| Tucker L. Melancon | (1947–present) | male United States District Judge, Western District of Louisiana, 5th Circuit since 1994 | diagnosed in 2002 at age 56 | [572] |
| Olga A. Méndez | (1925–2009) | American politician; died at age 82 | [573] | |
| Dame Helen Metcalf | (1946–2003) | born Helen Pitt, British educator and politician; died in 2003, aged 57 | diagnosed in 1991 | |
| Corinna Miazga | (1983–2023) | German politician; died at age 39 | ||
| Kathryn Morrison | (1942–2013) | American politician; died at age 71 | [574] | |
| Joan Patricia Murphy | (1936/1937–2016) | American politician; died at age 79 | [575] | |
| Sue Myrick | (1941–present) | American politician | [576] | |
| Sue Napier | (1948–2010) | Australian politician and first female Leader of the Tasmanian Opposition Party; died at age 62 | [577] | |
| Janet Napolitano | (1957–present) | American politician, former Governor of Arizona, Secretary of Homeland Security | diagnosed in 2000 at age 43 | [578] |
| Jocelyn Newman | (1937–2018) | born Jocelyn Margaret Mullett, former barrister, solicitor, 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 | [579][580] |
| Meyera Oberndorf | (1941–2015) | American politician and 23rd Mayor of Virginia Beach, Virginia (1988–2008); died at age 74 | [581] | |
| Anna Belle Clement O'Brien | (1923–2009) | Tennessee politician who worked for legislation to benefit breast cancer patients following her own diagnosis in the 1980s; died from a fall | [582] | |
| Eileen O'Connell | (1947–2000) | 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 | [583][584] |
| Sandra Day O'Connor | (1930–2023) | American retired attorney and first female Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States; died from complications related to advanced dementia and respiratory illness | diagnosed in 1988 at age 58 | [585][586][587] |
| 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 | Archived 2012-10-12 at the Wayback Machine |
| Susan Ople | (1962–2023) | Filipina politician and Overseas Filipino Workers' (OFW) rights advocate; died at age of 61 | [589] | |
| 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 | [590][591] |
| 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 | [592] | |
| Nancy Reagan | (1921–2016) | born Anne Frances Robbins, former First Lady of the United States and wife of former President Ronald Reagan; died of natural causes at age 94 | diagnosed in 1987 at age 66 | [593][594] |
| M. Jodi Rell | (1946–2024) | born Mary Carolyn Reavis, American politician, Governor of Connecticut; died at age 78 | diagnosed in 2004 at age 58 | [595] |
| Fiona Richardson | (1966–2017) | Australian politician and officeholder; went into remission and returned to Parliament; in 2017, she announced she had several tumours - it was unclear if the breast cancer recurred or if it was a different cancer | diagnosed in 2013 | [596][597][598] |
| 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; died following a short illness | diagnosed in 1974 at age 48; died in 2015, aged 88 | [599] |
| Debbie Wasserman Schultz | (1966–present) | American politician | [600] | |
| Debra Shipley | (1957–present) | British politician, Labour Party Member of Parliament | diagnosed in 2005 at age 47 | [601][602] |
| Rochelle Lee Shoretz | (1972–2015) | American civil servant and founder of Sharsheret; died age 42 | [603] | |
| Claire Shulman | (1926–2020) | born Claire Kantoff, American politician (1st female Borough President of Queens, New York City) and registered nurse; died at age 94 in 2020 | [604] | |
| Ricky Silberman | (1937–2007) | born Rosalie Gaull, American conservative activist who co-founded the Independent Women's Forum; died at age 69 | [605][606] | |
| Soong Mei-ling | (1898–2003) | Chinese political figure, painter and First Lady of the Republic of China as the wife of Generalissimo and President Chiang Kai-shek; died from natural causes at age 105 | [607] | |
| Gloria Steinem | (1934–present) | American founder of Ms. magazine, journalist, feminist and activist | diagnosed in 1986 at age 52 | [608] |
| Lynne Stewart | (1939–2017) | American lawyer and activist; died at age 77 from complications from breast cancer and a series of strokes | [609] | |
| Heather Stilwell | (1944–2010) | Canadian politician who strongly opposed homosexuality, abortion and sex education; died aged 66 | [610] | |
| Anne Swarbrick | (c. 1952–present) | Canadian politician and activist | [611] | |
| Jan Tinetti | (1968–present) | New Zealand politician, Member of parliament (Labour Party) | diagnosed in 2019 | |
| Linda Tripp | (1949–2020) | born Linda Rose Carotenuto, American federal government employee and Monica Lewinsky's former confidant; died from pancreatic cancer at age 70 in 2020 | diagnosed in 2001 at age 51 | [612][613][614] |
| Margaret Tor-Thompson | (1962–2007) | Liberian politician and member of Freedom Alliance Party of Liberia; biblical scholar; died at age 44 | [615] | |
| Ann Veneman | (1949–present) | former head of the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture | diagnosed in 2002 at age 52 | [616] |
| Barbara Vucanovich | (1921–2013) | born Barbara Farrell; American politician (R-NV), the first woman to represent Nevada in the United States House of Representatives (1983–1997); died from natural causes at the age 91 | diagnosed in 1983 at age | [617][618] |
| Pat Ward | (1957–2012) | American politician and Iowa State Senator (2004–2012); died aged 55 | [619] | |
| Jenna Welch | (1919–2019) | born Jenna Louise Hawkins, mother of American First Lady Laura Bush | diagnosed in 1997 at age 78 | |
| Andrea West | (1952–2010) | Australian teacher and politician; died aged 57 | [620] | |
| Anne Wexler | (1930–2009) | American lobbyist and political advisor; died aged 79 | [621] | |
| Jodi White | (1946–2024) | Canadian political operative (1993 chief of staff to the prime minister); died at age 77 | [622] | |
| Susie Wiles | (1957–present) | American political consultant serving as the 32nd White House Chief of Staff under 45th and 47th President Donald Trump | diagnosed in March 2026 | [623] |
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, 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 64 | [624] | |
| Louise Marie Adélaïde de Bourbon, Duchess of Orléans | (1753–1821) | French noblewoman | [625] | |
| Abigail Kuaihelani Campbell | (1858–1908) | born Abigail Kuaihelani Maipinepine Bright, member of the nobility of the Kingdom of Hawaii; died at age 50 | ||
| 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 | ||
| Atossa, Queen 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 | ||
| 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) | [citation needed] | |
| Princess of Ukok | (c. 500 BC) | "Siberian Ice Maiden", a Scytho-Siberian woman whose remains were found in Republic of Altai, Russia | ||
| Elizabeth Seymour, Duchess of Somerset | (1667–1722) | Mistress of the Robes to Anne, Queen of Great Britain; died at age 55 | [626] | |
| 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 | [627] | |
| Victoria, Princess Royal | (1840–1901) | German Empress and Queen of Prussia by her marriage to Frederick III; eldest daughter of Queen Victoria and mother of Kaiser Wilhelm; dies at age 60 | [628] | |
| Amalie von Wallmoden, Countess of Yarmouth | (1704–1765) | Principal Mistress of King George II of Great Britain; died at age 61 | [629] | |
| Sonja, Countess Bernadotte af Wisborg | (1944–2008) | Second wife of Count Lennart Bernadotte; died aged 64 | [630] |
Science
| Name | Life | Comments | Diagnosis | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nalie Agustin | (1988–2022) | Canadian health and wellness advocate, public speaker, and author; died aged 33 | [631][632][633] | |
| Claudia Alexander | (1959–2015) | Canadian-born American geophysicist and planetary scientist; died aged 56 | [634][635] | |
| Elda Emma Anderson | (1899–1961) | American physicist and health researcher; died from breast cancer and leukemia at age 61 | [636] | |
| 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 | [637][better source needed] |
| Mary Astell | (1666–1731) | English philosopher and feminist writer; died at age 65 | diagnosed in 1731 at age 65 | [638] |
| Dame Patricia Bergquist | (1933–2009) | born Patricia Rose Smyth, New Zealand zoologist and professor; died at age 76 | [639] | |
| Yvonne Brill | (1924–2013) | born Yvonne Madelaine Claeys, Canadian-American rocket and jet propulsion engineer; died at age 88 | [640] [641] | |
| Constance Brinckerhoff | (1942–present) | American microbiologist and academic | diagnosed in 1996 | [642][better source needed] |
| Rachel Carson | (1907–1964) | American environmentalist and author (Silent Spring); died at age 56 | diagnosed in 1960 at age 53 | [643] |
| Dorothy Leavitt Cheney | (1950–2018) | American primatologist and scholar; died at age 68 | [644][645] | |
| Willey Glover Denis | (1879–1929) | American biochemist and physiologist; died at age 49 | [646] | |
| Anna Donald | (1966–2009) | born Anastasia Katherine Courtice, Australian epidemiologist and company director; died at age 42 | [647][648] | |
| 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 | [649][650] | |
| Sophie Germain | (1776–1831) | French mathematician; died at age 55 | [651] | |
| Regine Hildebrandt | (1941–2001) | German biologist and politician; died at age 60 | [652] | |
| Carolyn Kaelin | (1961-2015) | American physician, surgean and breast cancer researcher; survived breast cancer, died at age 54 from a glioblastoma multiforme brain tumor | diagnosed in 2003 | [653] |
| Lisa Lodwick | (1988–2022) | British archaeologist; died at age 34 | [654] | |
| Glenda MacQueen | (1965–2020) | Canadian medical researcher and medical college professor at the University of Calgary; died at age 55 | [655] | |
| Agnes Mary Mansour | (1931–2004) | American biochemist and former Catholic nun; died aged 73 | [citation needed] | |
| Maryam Mirzakhani | (1977–2017) | Iranian mathematician and academic; died at age 40 | [656] | |
| 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 | [657][658] |
| 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 | [659] |
| Marjorie Shostak | (1945–1996) | American anthropologist; died at age 51 | diagnosed in 1989 at age 44 | [660][661] |
| Nettie Stevens | (1861–1912) | American geneticist who discovered sex chromosomes; died aged 50 | [662] | |
| Reina Torres de Araúz | (1932–1982) | Panamanian anthropologist, ethnographer and professor; aged 49 | [663] | |
| Janice E. Voss | (1956–2012) | American engineer and NASA astronaut; died aged 55 | [664] | |
| Judith D. Zuk | (1951–2007) | American conservationist, horticulturist and environmentalist; died at age 55 | [665][666] |
Sports
| Name | Life | Comments | Diagnosis | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kathy Ahern | (1949–1996) | American professional golfer; died aged 47 | diagnosed c. 1991 | [667] |
| Aïda Ba | (1983–2022) | French rugby union player; died at age 39 | [668] | |
| Jen Beattie | (1991-present | Scottish professional footballer (Arsenal) | diagnosed in October 2020 | [669][670] |
| Raelene Boyle | (1951–present) | Australian Olympic champion athlete; in 2000; also surviving ovarian cancer | diagnosed in 1996 at age 45 | [671] |
| Kirsten Venetta Brown | (1963–2006) | African-American slalom canoeist; died at age 43 | ||
| Helen Callaghan | (1923–1992) | Canadian-born American baseball player; died at age 69 | [672] | |
| Edna Campbell | (1968–present) | African-American professional basketball star | diagnosed in 2002 at age 34 | [673] |
| Candy Csencsits | (1955–1989) | American athlete and bodybuilder; died aged 33 | [citation needed] | |
| Marina Dalglish | (1951–present) | Founder of the Marina Dalglish Appeal; wife of Scottish former international football player Kenny Dalglish | diagnosed in 2003 at age 49 | |
| 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 | [link removed][674] |
| Eleanor Dapkus | (1923–2011) | American baseball player; died at age 87 | ||
| 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 | diagnosed in 1988 at age 37 | [675] |
| Lydia de Vega | (1964–2022) | Filipino Olympic athlete; died at age 57 | [676] | |
| Ebony Dickinson | (1977–2009) | American professional basketball player; dies aged 32 | [677][678] | |
| Kelly Jo Dowd | (1965–2007) | born Kelly Jo Dennis, American mother of golfer Dakoda Dowd | diagnosed in 2002 at age 37 | [link removed][679][680][681] |
| 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 | [682] |
| Deanna Favre | (1968–present) | American author and founder of The Deanna Favre Hope Foundation; wife of American football quarterback Brett Favre | diagnosed in 2004 at age 35 | , [683][684] |
| Peggy Fleming | (1948–present) | American Olympic champion figure skater | diagnosed in 1998 at age 50 | [685] |
| Irina Gabashvili | (1960–2009) | Georgian-born Soviet gymnast | [686] | |
| 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 | [687][688] |
| Sunny Hale | (1968–2017) | American polo player; died aged 48 | [689] | |
| Dorothy Hamill | (1956–present) | American Olympic champion figure skater | [690] | |
| Shelley Hamlin | (1949–2018) | American professional golfer | diagnosed in 1991 at age 42; died at age 69 | [691] |
| Nina Hoekman | (1964–2014) | Ukrainian-born Dutch draughts player and coach; died aged 49 | [692] | |
| Akira Hokuto | (1967–present) | born Hisako Uno, Japanese professional wrestler | diagnosed in 2015 at age 48 | [693] |
| Tiffany Jackson | (1985–2022) | American basketball player | died in 2022 at age 37 | [694] |
| Vivien Jones | (1951–2010) | British award-winning professional lacrosse player and physical education teacher; died at age | [695] | |
| Helene Mayer | (1910–1953) | German world champion Olympic fencer; died aged 42 | [696] | |
| Nancy McDaniel | (1966–2024) | American golf coach and Golf Coaches Association Hall of Fame inductee; died aged 57 | [697] | |
| Jane McGrath | (1966–2008) | born Jane Louise Steele, cancer support campaigner and wife of Australian cricket champion Glenn McGrath; died from complications during brain tumor surgery | diagnosed in 1997 at age 31 | [698] |
| Karen Muir | (1952–2013) | South African competitive swimmer; died aged 60 | [699] | |
| Martina Navratilova | (1956–present) | Czech-American former professional tennis player | [700] | |
| Gayle Olinekova | (1953–2003) | Canadian marathon runner and bodybuilder; died aged 50 | [701] | |
| Jenny Olsson | (1979–2012) | Swedish cross-country skier; died at age 32 | [702] | |
| Lily Parr | (1905–1978) | English professional women's football player | [703] | |
| Mona-Lisa Pursiainen | (1951–2000) | Finnish female athlete and sprinter; died at age 49 | [704] | |
| Judy Rankin | (1945–present) | born Judy Torluemke, American Hall of Fame professional golfer | diagnosed in 2006 at age 61 | [705] |
| Betsy Rawls | (1928–2023) | American Hall of Fame professional golfer | diagnosed in 1999 at age 71 | [706][707] |
| Keani Reiner | (1952–1994) | American surfer and sailor; died aged 42 | [708] | |
| 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; died at age 57 from breast and lung cancer | diagnosed in 1985 at age 51 | |
| Annarita Sidoti | (1969–2015) | Italian race walker; died at age 45 | [709] | |
| Rell Sunn | (1950–1998) | American world surfing champion; died at age 47 | diagnosed in 1983 at age 32 | Archived 2007-02-14 at the Wayback Machine |
| Mickey Wright | (1935–2020) | American Hall of Fame professional golfer; died from a heart attack at the age of 85. At the time, she had been hospitalized following a fall a few weeks prior. | diagnosed in 2006 | [711][712][713][714] |
| 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 | [715][716] |
Television and radio
| Name | Life | Comments | Diagnosis | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cecilia Alvear | (1939–2017) | Ecuadorian-born American journalist | [717] | |
| Sarah Beeny | (1972–present) | English broadcaster and entrepreneur | diagnosed in 2022 at age 50 | [718] |
| Rachael Bland | (1978–2018) | English journalist and podcast presenter; member of You, Me and the Big C | diagnosed in 2016 at age 38; died in 2018 at age 40 | [719] |
| Alison Booker | (1963–2010) | English radio broadcaster; died at age 47 | [720] | |
| Julia Bradbury | (1970–present) | Irish-born English television presenter and journalist | diagnosed in 2021 at age 51 | [721] |
| Pattie Daly Caruso | (1944–2017) | mother of American television personality Carson Daly; died of a heart attack at age 73 | diagnosed in 2008 at age 64 | , Archived 2007-03-12 at the Wayback Machine, Archived 2007-03-12 at the Wayback Machine |
| Sarah Cawood | (1972–present) | English broadcaster and presenter | diagnosed in 2021 at age 49 | [722] |
| 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 | [723][724] |
| Pattie Coldwell | (1952–2002) | English television presenter and journalist. sSurvived breast cancer twice, first being diagnosed in 1997 and then again in 1998; eventually died from a brain tumour at age 50 | diagnosed in 1997; recurred in 1998 | [725] |
| Joan Riddell Cook | (1922–1995) | American journalist and labor activist and founder of J.A.W.S. (Journalism and Women Symposium). | [726][727] | |
| Victoria Derbyshire | (1968–present) | British journalist, newsreader and broadcaster | [728] | |
| Helen Dewar | (1936–2006) | American journalist and news reporter | [729] | |
| Anne Diamond | (1954–present) | English journalist, broadcaster and television presenter | [730] | |
| Janice Dickinson | (1955–present) | American television personality, model, businesswoman and writer | [731] | |
| Brenda Edwards | (1969–present) | English singer, actress and television presenter | diagnosed in 2019 at age 50 | |
| Eva Ekvall | (1983–2011) | Venezuelan television newsreader, author and former Miss Venezuela; died aged 28 | [732] | |
| Linda Ellerbee | (1944–present) | born Linda Jane Smith; American television journalist, newsreader and author | diagnosed in 1991 at age 47 | [733] |
| Sarah Ferguson | (1959–present) | English author, television personality, and former member of the British royal family as the former wife of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor | [734] | |
| Pegeen Fitzgerald | (1904–1989) | American radio personality; died at age 84 | [735] | |
| Mary Lou Forbes | (1926–2009) | American journalist and commentator; died age 83 | [736] | |
| Lacey Fosburgh | (1942–1993) | American journalist and author | [737] | |
| Trisha Goddard | (1957–present) | British television presenter | [738][739] | |
| Jennifer Griffin | (1969–present) | American journalist | [740] | |
| Samantha Harris | (1973–present) | American television personality, presenter and model | [741] | |
| Laura Ingraham | (1963–present) | American radio host/pundit | diagnosed in 2005 at age 41 | [742] |
| Rita Henley Jensen | (1947–2017) | American journalist and founder of Women's eNews | [743] | |
| Christine Kay | (1964–2019) | American journalist and editor; died at age 54 | [744] | |
| 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 | [745] |
| Judy Lee Klemesrud | (1939–1985) | American journalist (The New York Times) | [746] | |
| Hoda Kotb | (1964–present) | American television newsreader, journalist and correspondent | [747][748] | |
| Rose Kushner | (1929–1990) | American journalist and advocate for breast cancer patients | [749][750] | |
| Jane Larkworthy | (1962–2025) | American journalist and editor; died at age 62 | [751] | |
| Geralyn Lucas | (1967–present) | American journalist, television producer and writer | [752] | |
| Joan Lunden | (1950–present) | American television journalist and newsreader | [753] | |
| Jennifer Lyon | (1972–2010) | American contestant on the CBS reality television series Survivor: Palau; died at age 37 | diagnosed in 2005 at age 33 | |
| Lauren Mahon | (1985–present) | British cancer activist and podcast presenter | [754] | |
| Michele Marsh | (1954–2017) | American television journalist and news anchor; died at age 63 | [755] | |
| Davina McCall | (1967–present) | English television presenter | [756][757] | |
| Debbie McGee | (1958–present) | English television, radio and stage performer | diagnosed in 2018 at age 59 | [758] |
| Carol McGiffin | (1960–present) | English radio and television broadcaster | diagnosed in 2014 at age 54 | [759] |
| Wendy Mesley | (1957–present) | Canadian television presenter and reporter for CBC Television | diagnosed in January, 2005 at age 48 | [760] |
| Andrea Mitchell | (1946–present) | American television journalist, anchor, reporter, and commentator | [761] | |
| Diana Moran | (1939–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 | [762] |
| Dame Jenni Murray | (1950–2026) | born Jennifer Susan Bailey, British BBC presenter | diagnosed in 2006 at age 56 | [763][764][765] |
| Deborah Orr | (1962–2019) | Scottish journalist and author (The Guardian, The Independent); died at age 57 | [766] | |
| Vikki Orvice | (1962–2019) | British sports journalist; died at age 56 | [767] | |
| Ruth Picardie | (1964–1997) | English journalist and editor; died at age 33 | [768] | |
| Heather Pick | (1970–2008) | American television news reporter and activist for breast cancer and type 1 diabetes awareness | [769] | |
| Amy Robach | (1973–present) | American television news correspondent | [770] | |
| 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 at age 59 | |
| Cokie Roberts | (1943–2019) | American journalist, author and television personality; died at age 75 | [771] | |
| Robin Roberts | (1960–present) | American television broadcaster, basketball player and LGBT rights activist. | [772] | |
| Rod Roddy | (1937–2003) | American radio and television announcer; died at age 66 and also suffered from colon cancer throughout his life | [773] | |
| Sara Sidner | (1972–present) | American newsreader and journalist | [774] | |
| Susan Stamberg | (1938–present) | born Susan Levitt, American radio journalist for National Public Radio | Diagnosed in 1986 at age 48 | |
| Caroline St John-Brooks | (1947–2003) | Anglo-Irish journalist and academic; died aged 56 | [775] | |
| 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 | [776] |
| Beverly Thomson | (1964–2025) | Canadian television journalist and correspondent (CTV News Channel); died aged 61 | [777] | |
| Marietta Peabody Tree | (1917–1991) | American socialite and political reporter; died aged 74 | [778] | |
| Laura Valenzuela | (1931–2023) | Spanish television presenter, actress and model; after successfully being treated for breast cancer, later died from Alzheimer's disease at age 92 | [779][780][781] | |
| Harriet Van Horne | (1920–1998) | American newspaper columnist and television critic; died aged 77 | [782] | |
| Amelyn Veloso | (1974–2017) | Filipino journalist and broadcaster; died aged 43 | [783] | |
| Geraldine Warrick-Crisman | (1930–2007) | American television executive and former assistant New Jersey state treasurer; died at age 76 | [784]Notice of death of Geraldine Warrick-Crisman; accessed November 1, 2015. | |
| Sian Williams | (1964–present) | Welsh journalist and current affairs presenter | [785] | |
| Rebecca Wilson | (1961–2016) | Australian sports journalist; died at age 54 | [786] |
Visual arts
| Name | Life | Comments | Diagnosis | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harriet Barber | (1968–2014) | English figurative painter; died aged 46 | [787] | |
| Coosje van Bruggen | (1942–2009) | Dutch-American sculptor, art historian and critic; died aged 66 | [788] | |
| 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 | Archived 2003-09-20 at the Wayback Machine | |
| Joan Eardley | (1921–1963) | Scottish artist; died aged 42 | [790] | |
| Miriam Engelberg | (1958–2006) | American graphic artist/writer/blogger; died on October 18, 2006, at age 48 | diagnosed in 2001 at age 43 | |
| Char Fontane | (1952–2007) | American actress and singer; died at age 55 | [791] | |
| Lona Foote | (1950/1951–1993) | American photographer; died on April 15, 1993, at age 42 | [792] | |
| Marti Friedlander | (1928–2016) | British-New Zealand photographer; died at age 88 | [793] | |
| Margaret Furse | (1911–1974) | British costumer; died aged 63 | [794] | |
| Marie-Suzanne Giroust | (1734–1772) | French painter; died aged 38 | [795] | |
| Arlene Gottfried | (1950–2017) | American photographer; died aged 66 | [796] | |
| Kate Greenaway | (1846–1901) | British illustrator; died at age 55 | [797] | |
| Kelly Hoppen | (1959–present) | South African-born British interior designer and author | [798] | |
| Trina Schart Hyman | (1939–2004) | American children's book illustrator; died at age 65 | [799] | |
| Betsey Johnson | (1942–present) | American fashion designer | diagnosed in 1999 at age 47 | [800] |
| Margaret Kilgallen | (1967–2001) | American artist; died aged 33 | [801] | |
| Tina Knowles | (1954–present) | born Celeste Ann Beyoncé, American fashion designer and author, mother of singers Beyoncé and Solange Knowles | diagnosed in 2024 at age 70 | |
| Shirley Ardell Mason | (1923–1998) | American artist, inspiration for the book and film Sybil; died at age 75 | [802] | |
| Matuschka | (1954–present) | born Joanne Motichka, American fine art photographer and breast cancer activist | diagnosed in 1991 | |
| Jean Muir | (1928–1995) | English fashion designer; died at age 66 | [803][804] | |
| Polixeni Papapetrou | (1960–2018) | Australian photographer; died at age 57 | [805] | |
| Sandra Sakata | (1940–1997) | American fashion designer and retailer; died at age 57 | [806] | |
| Hollis Sigler | (1948–2001) | American painter; died at age 53 | diagnosed in 1985, the cancer returned in 1991; by 1993, it had spread to her bones, pelvis and spine; Sigler's mother and a great-grandmother had also succumbed to the disease | [807] |
| Olabisi Obafunke "Bisi" Silva | (1962–2019) | Nigerian contemporary art curator | [808] | |
| Jo Spence | (1934–1992) | British photographer; died at age 58 | diagnosed in 1982 at age 48 | Archived 2006-06-15 at the Wayback Machine |
| Hendrickje Stoffels | (1626–1663) | Artist model and mistress of the Dutch painter Rembrandt | ||
| Deborah Sussman | (1931–2014) | American graphic designer and artist; died aged 83 | [809] | |
| Barbra Walz | (1950/1951–1990) | American fashion photographer; died at age 39 | [810] | |
| Thelma Wood | (1901–1970) | American sculptor; died at age 69 | [811] |
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 | [812] |
| Valentine Ackland | (1906–1969) | born Mary Kathleen Macrory Ackland, British poet; died at age 63 | ||
| Lisa Bonchek Adams | (1969–2015) | born Lisa Deborah Bonchek, American writer known as @AdamsLisa; died at age 45 | diagnosed in 2012 | |
| Ingela Agardh | (1948–2008) | Swedish journalist and television personality; died at age 59 | [813][814] | |
| Margery Allingham | (1904–1966) | British mystery writer; died at age 62 | [815] | |
| V. C. Andrews | (1923–1986) | born Cleo Virginia Andrews, American author; died at age 62 | [816] | |
| Lisa A. Barnett | (1958–2006) | American science fiction writer and editor; also suffered from a brain tumor | [817] | |
| Sally Belfrage | (1936–1994) | British author and journalist; died at age 57 | [818] | |
| Caroline Benn | (1926–2000) | American-born British educationalist and writer; died at age 74 | [819] | |
| Clara Berenbau | (1980–2013) | Uruguayan writer, journalist, presenter, and announcer; died aged 32 | [820] | |
| Jami Bernard | (1956–present) | American author and film critic for the New York Daily News | diagnosed in 1996 at age 40 | [better source needed] |
| Judy Blume | (1938–present) | American writer diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma in August 2012; long-term cervical cancer survivor | [821] | |
| Erma Bombeck | (1927–1996) | born Erma Louise Fiste, American columnist and author; survived breast cancer but died during a kidney transplant at age 69 | diagnosed in 1992 at age 55 | [822] |
| Sherwood Bonner | (1849–1883) | born Katherine Sherwood Bonner, American author and feminist (died at age 34) | diagnosed in 1881 | |
| Anna Bunina | (1774–1829) | Russian poet and writer; died at age 55 | [823] | |
| Frances Burney | (1752–1840) | English novelist, diarist and playwright; survived breast cancer; died at age 88 | [824] | |
| Anna Petrovna Bunina | (1774–1829) | Russian poet and writer; died at age 55 | [825] | |
| A. V. Christie | (1963–2016) | American poet; died aged 53 | [826] | |
| Jackie Collins | (1937–2015) | British-American romance novelist and actress; died aged 77 | [827] | |
| Joan Riddell Cook | (1922–1995) | American journalist and labor activist; founded JAWS (Journalism and Women Symposium); died at age 73 | [828] | |
| Cheryl Crane | (1956–present) | American writer, real estate broker and model | [829] | |
| Julia Darling | (1956–2005) | Award-winning British writer; died at age 48 | [830] | |
| Antoinette-Thérèse Des Houlières | (1659–1718) | French poet; died at age 59 | , [831] | |
| Antoinette du Ligier de la Garde Deshoulières | (1638–1694) | French poet; died at age 56 | [832] | |
| Helen Dewar | (1936–2006) | American political reporter for The Washington Post newspaper; died at age 70 | ||
| Sarah Dorsey | (1829–1879) | American novelist and historian; died aged 50 | [833] | |
| Siobhan Dowd | (1960–2007) | British children's writer and activist; died aged 47 | [834] | |
| Shirley Graham Du Bois | (1896–1977) | born Lola Shirley Graham Jr., African-American author, playwright, composer and activist; married to W.E.B. DuBois; died at age 80 | [835] | |
| Susan Duncan | (1951–2024) | Australian author and magazine editor | [836] | |
| Barbara Ehrenreich | (1941–2022) | born Barbara Alexander, American author, political activist and ethicist | [837] | |
| Miriam Engelberg | (1958–2006) | American graphic novelist and blogger; died aged 48 | [838] | |
| Judith Exner | (1934–1999) | American author; died aged 65 | [839] | |
| 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 | ||
| Oriana Fallaci | (1929–2006) | Italian writer and journalist; died aged 77 | [840] | |
| Harriet Fier | (1950–2018) | American magazine editor; died at age 67 | [841] | |
| Caitlin Flanagan | (1961–present) | American magazine writer, editor and book author | diagnosed in 2003 with stage 3 breast cancer, which later metastasized to other parts of her body | [842] |
| 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 | [843] |
| Lacey Fosburgh | (1942–1993) | American author; died at age 50 | ||
| Margaret Frazer | (1946–2013) | American historical novelist; died aged 66 | [844] | |
| Margaret Gibson | (1948–2006) | Canadian novelist and short story writer; died at age 57 | [845] | |
| Kathi Kamen Goldmark | (1948–2012) | American author, columnist, publishing consultant and music producer; die aged 63 | [846] | |
| Emily Gosse | (1806-1857) | English poet, author, religious tract writer; died at age 50 | [847] | |
| Rose Gray | (1939–2010) | English chef and cookery writer; died aged 71 | [848] | |
| Lady Augusta Gregory | (1852–1932) | Irish nationalist writer and landowner; died aged 80 | [849] | |
| Jane Hamsher | (1959–present) | born Jane Murphy, American film producer, author and liberal blogger | diagnosed 3rd time in December 2006 at age 47 | [850] |
| Emma Hannigan | (1972–2018) | Irish author and blogger known for blogging about her cancer experience | diagnosed in 2007; died at the age of 45 | [851][852][853] |
| Virginia Hamilton | (1936–2018) | American novelist and children's book author | died at age 67 | [854] |
| Teva Harrison | (1976–2019) | Canadian-American writer, poet, memoirist, and graphic artist; died at age 42 | diagnosed roughly six years before her death | [855][856][857] |
| Sara Henderson | (1936–2005) | Australian author and pastoralist; died at age 68 | [858] | |
| Dorothy Hewett | (1923–2002) | Australian writer, poet and playwright; died at age 79 | [859] | |
| Molly Ivins | (1944–2007) | American journalist and author diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer; died at age 62 | diagnosed in 1999 at age 55 | [860] |
| 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 | Archived 2016-10-29 at the Wayback Machine | |
| Mandy Jenkins | (1980–2023) | American journalist and editor; died at age 42 | diagnosed four years before her death | [862] |
| E. Pauline Johnson | (1861–1913) | Canadian poet and orator; died aged 51 | [863][864] | |
| 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 | [865] |
| Nikhat Kazmi | (1958/1959–2012) | Indian writer and film critic; died aged 53 | [866] | |
| Kris Kovick | (1951–2001) | American writer, cartoonist and LGBT rights activist; died 50 | [867] | |
| Jennifer Lash | (1938–1993) | aka Jini Fiennes; British writer/artist (mother of Ralph, Joseph, Martha, Magnus, Sophie and Jacob Fiennes); died at age 55 | diagnosed in the 1980s | [868] |
| Frances Lear | (1923–1996) | Lear magazine publisher; died aged 73 | [869] | |
| Violette Leduc | (1907–1972) | French novelist and memoirist; died aged 65 | [870] | |
| Betsy Lehman | (1955–1994) | Boston Globe newspaper columnist; she and Maureen Bateman, a teacher, both of whom had advanced breast cancer, 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) | ||
| Anna Maria Lenngren | (1754–1817) | Swedish feminist writer and poet; died aged 62 | [871] | |
| Élisabeth Leseur | (1866–1914) | born Pauline Élisabeth Arrighi, French mystic and diarist; died at age 47 | [872] | |
| Nikolai Leskov | (1831–1895) | male Russian writer; died at age 64 | [873][874] | |
| Andrea Levy | (1956–2019) | English novelist; died at age 62 | [875] | |
| Audre Lorde | (1934–1992) | born Audrey Geraldine Lorde, African-American author; died at age 58 | diagnosed at 44 in 1978 | [876] |
| Geralyn Lucas | (1968–present) | American journalist, television producer, and writer | diagnosed in 1995 at age 27 | |
| Lisa Lynch | (1979–2013) | English journalist, known for writing about her experiences of having cancer in The C-Word; died at age 33 | [877] | |
| Sarah Maguire | (1957–2017) | English poet, broadcaster and translator; died aged 60 | [878] | |
| Zoleka Mandela | (1980–2023) | South African writer; she was treated for breast cancer in 2011, which returned in 2016; died at age 43 | [879] | |
| Marisa Acocella Marchetto | (1962–present) | American writer, cartoonist and memoirist. | [880] | |
| Melissa Nathan | (1968–2006) | British novelist; died at age 37 | diagnosed in 2001 at age 32; breast cancer recurred in 2003 | [881] |
| Ai Ogawa | (1947–2010) | National Book Award-winning American poet, writer and educator; died at age 62 | [882] | |
| Grace Paley | (1922–2007) | American poet, writer and political activist; dies at age 84 | [883] | |
| Ruth Picardie | (1964–1997) | British writer and columnist for The Observer; died at age 33 | diagnosed in October 1996 at age 32 | |
| Barbara Pym | (1913–1980) | British author/writer; died at age 66 | ||
| Dina Rabinovitch | (1963–2007) | British journalist for The Guardian and book author; died at age 45 | diagnosed in June 2004 | |
| Elayne Rapping | (1938–2016) | American author, critic/analyst of popular culture; died at age 77 | [884] | |
| Claire Rayner | (1931–2010) | born Claire Berenice Berkovitch (later Chetwynd), British journalist, broadcaster, novelist and nurse; died at age 79 | diagnosed in 2002 | [885] |
| Cokie Roberts | (1943–2019) | American author, journalist, and television news anchor; died at age 75 | diagnosed in 2002 at age 58 | |
| Betty Rollin | (1936–2023) | American author, retired TV correspondent; died by assisted suicide following health decline at the Pegasos Swiss Association in Basel, aged 87 | first diagnosed in 1975 at age 39; second diagnosis in 1984 at age 48 | [886] |
| Kate Ross | (1956–1998) | American mystery writer and lawyer; died at age 41 | [887] | |
| Deidre Sanders | (1945–present) | born June Deidre Sanders, English columnist and agony aunt | diagnosed in 2022 at age 77 | |
| May Sarton | (1912–1995) | Belgium-born American poet, novelist, and memoirist; died at age 83 | ||
| Dame Daphne Sheldrick | (1934–2018) | Kenyan-British author, conservationist and expert in animal husbandry; died at age 83 | [888] | |
| Carol Shields | (1935–2003) | Canada-based U.S. author; died at age 68 | ||
| Anya Krugovoy Silver | (1968–2018) | American poet; died at age 49 | [889] | |
| Ingrid Sischy | (1952–2015) | South African-born American magazine editor and critic; died at age 63 | [890] | |
| 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 | diagnosed at 42 in 1975 | |
| Karin Stanford | (1961–present) | African-American writer and professor | ||
| Barbara Strauch | (1951–2015) | American author, reporter and newspaper editor; died aged 63 | [891] | |
| Rose Pastor Stokes | (1879–1933) | American writer, feminist and socialist; died aged 53 | [892] | |
| Marie Stopes | (1880–1958) | Scottish author, palaeobotanist, and birth control advocate; died at age 78 | ||
| 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 | [893] |
| Joni Eareckson Tada | (1961–present) | American evangelical Christian author, radio host, and disability advocate | [894] | |
| Melanie Tem | (1949–2015) | American horror and dark fantasy author; died aged 65 | [895] | |
| Amy Uyematsu | (1947-2023) | American poet, activist, educator | diagnosed in 2021 | |
| Joyce Wadler | (1948–present) | American journalist and memoirist (also surviving ovarian cancer) | [896] | |
| Margaret Walker | (1915–1998) | American poet, writer and academic; died aged 83 | [897] | |
| Tricia Walker | (1964–2018) | British author; died aged 53 | [898] | |
| Angela Webber | (1955–2007) | Australian writer and comedian; died aged 52 | [899] | |
| 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 | |
| Kim Yale | (1953–1997) | American writer and editor for multiple comic book companies, including Marvel, DC, First and Warp Graphics | [900] |