Julia Louis-Dreyfus' Breast Cancer: 5 Other Celebrities In Recovery From The Illness

NEW YORK, NY — After Julia-Louis Dreyfus, star of "Veep" and "Seinfeld," revealed that she has been diagnosed with breast cancer, she received an outpouring of support from all corners — including other women in the public eye who have faced the same condition. As Louis-Dreyfus pointed out, women have a 1-in-8 chance of being diagnosed with breast cancer over their lifetimes, so it's inevitable that many famous people will develop the disease.

Their stories show the variety of courses the illness can take, and the fact that so many people who receive the diagnosis go on to live happy and productive lives for many years after can offer hope to those who find themselves in the same place. (For more national stories, subscribe to the Across America Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.)

Here are five stories of people you may know who have been diagnosed with breast cancer and what you should know about the disease:

Andrea Mitchell

NBC News anchor and reporter Andrea Mitchell revealed she had breast cancer in 2011, but the diagnosis has hardly diminished her profile in her high-intensity career. At 64, the cancer was caught at an early stage and had not spread to other parts of her body.

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

She underwent a mastectomy, but she kept up with the rapid pace of politics nonetheless. She decided to postpone having reconstructive surgery after the operation because of the 2012 presidential primary season.

“I put off reconstruction after my mastectomy because I wanted to get through the Republican primaries first. I didn’t want to be out again for surgery,” she said in an interview as reported by The Hill. "It went on so long, I thought it would never end, because I knew I had to get back into the hospital."

Watch: Julia Louis-Dreyfus Had A Request In Her Breast Cancer Announcement

Rita Wilson

Rita Wilson, the actress, singer and producer, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015 and received a double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery. Initially, she was misdiagnosed but sensed something was wrong; when she sought a second opinion, she was told she had cancer, according to a story she wrote for Harper's Bazaar.

She was doing a play on Broadway at the time, "Fish in the Dark." "One would think that doing a play, as opposed to a musical, would have been less demanding, as I had believed. Girl, it was so exhausting, all I could do was sleep all day," she wrote.

She continued: "I sometimes miss my biological breasts. I liked them. I had them for a long time. I liked the way they looked and what they had been able to do. They nursed my babies. ... But as the comedian (and breast cancer survivor) Tig Notaro says, referring to making fun of her flat chest for so many years, her breasts got fed up and 'were trying to kill me.' You can’t really miss someone who wanted to take you out."

Angelina Jolie

Though she never was actually diagnosed with breast cancer, Angelina Jolie knew she had a high risk of developing the disease that killed her mother, as she wrote in the New York Times. So she took the dramatic step of having a preventive mastectomy after extensive consultation with her doctors based on her very specific medical history.

"My chances of developing breast cancer have dropped from 87 percent to under 5 percent," she writes. "I can tell my children that they don’t need to fear they will lose me to breast cancer. ... On a personal note, I do not feel any less of a woman. I feel empowered that I made a strong choice that in no way diminishes my femininity."

She adds: "I want to encourage every woman, especially if you have a family history of breast or ovarian cancer, to seek out the information and medical experts who can help you through this aspect of your life, and to make your own informed choices."

Wanda Sykes

Sykes, an actress and comedian, discovered she has a "ductal carcinoma in situ" while she was having breast reduction surgery.

"In some cases, ductal carcinoma in situ may become invasive cancer and spread to other tissues, although it is not known at this time how to predict which lesions will become invasive," explains the National Cancer Institute. But despite the lack of certainty about the risk, Sykes decided she didn't want to take the chance it could develop into cancer, and she opted for a double mastectomy.

"I was very, very lucky, because DCIS is basically stage zero cancer,” said Sykes on Ellen Degeneres' talk show.

Peter Criss

Peter Criss, drummer for the band KISS, didn't realize breast cancer could happen to men — until he received his diagnosis. In an interview with CNN in 2009, he described being terrified and uncomfortable as he sat in the waiting room for his doctor.

"In the room, there's all these women who have no hair, who are all wearing scarves, who are dying, who are not dying," he said. "And for a guy, a man, for me to sit there, and I could feel the room, how uncomfortable it was for me, much less the women there. It was really hard."

He continued: "This can't be happening to me. I went into total shock. I thought, it just don't happen to men. It can't happen to men." He eventually had to undergo surgery to remove his affected lymph nodes.

After the surgery, he called himself "the luckiest man on the planet."

What You Should Know

Recommendations for breast cancer screening schedules vary somewhat, but the most important thing is for patients to have an open conversation with their doctors about their individual situations and concerns. While it may seem that more testing is always better, some experts worry that over-testing can lead to overdiagnosis, which could lead to patients undergoing unnecessary procedures.

The United States Preventive Services Task Force recommends that women between the ages of 50 to 74 with average risk of breast cancer have a mammogram every two years. It says that women between the ages of 40 and 49 should talk to their doctors about their screening schedule, weighing the risks and benefits.

"Women with a parent, sibling, or child with breast cancer are at higher risk for breast cancer and thus may benefit more than average-risk women from beginning screening in their 40s," the task force says. Some groups, however, recommend starting screenings at age 45.

There continues to be debate about how useful it is for women to conduct self-exams of their breasts. However, most experts agree that everyone should be familiar with the shape and feel of their bodies, and if they notice significant changes in density or lumps in their breasts, they should discuss these issues with their doctor.

Photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Images for Women in Cable Telecommunications