Actress Jane Fonda, 87, Says ‘Good Health, Posture’ Are Her Keys to Looking Youthful Years After Beating 3 Cancer Diagnoses

“I want young people to stop being afraid about getting older,” Fonda said to Vogue magazine.

One of the women Fonda’s longevity in the spotlight inspired is fellow award-winning actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus.

“I started the podcast because I saw an HBO documentary called ‘Jane Fonda in Five Acts,’” Louis-Dreyfus said to Movement Living.

“I was completely blown away by the scope of her life, the variety of her life, and the meaning of her life. As I was watching, I was thinking, God, we just don’t hear from older women,” the “Veep” actress continued.

Louis-Dreyfus’s “Wiser than Me” podcast shares thoughts and perspectives on issues from the perspective of an older woman.

Coping With Your New Body After Cancer Treatment

After a cancer diagnosis, patients are faced with the possibility of their bodies changing in ways that may be temporary or permanent. These changes can be visible or invisible and may affect your psyche. One helpful tip is to lean into your support group, which is filled with loved ones who can help you cope during this stage of your journey.

Psychologist Dr. Marianna Strongin shares with SurvivorNet some additional tips cancer warriors can explore to help manage the emotional toll body changes can have during treatment.

WATCH: Coping With Changes to Your Body Amid Treatment

Dr. Strongin encourages cancer warriors to take ownership of the part (or parts) of their body impacted mainly by cancer treatment. She says although they may represent “fear and pain,” they also represent “strength and courage.”

“Research has found that when looking in the mirror, we are more likely to focus on the parts of our body we are dissatisfied with, which causes us to have a negative self-view and lower self-esteem. Therefore, I would like you first to spend time gazing at the parts of your body you love, give them time, honor them, and then thank them,” Dr. Strongin said.

Dr. Strongin then suggests examining the part or parts of your body affected by the cancer or its treatment. She recommends creating a regular practice of accepting your body image because it helps you accept your cancer journey emotionally and physically.

“As you allow yourself to spend more time looking at all of you, you will begin having a new relationship with your body. It may not happen immediately, but with time, you can begin honoring and thanking your new body,” Dr. Strongin added.

Jane’s Bouts With Breast, Skin and non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Cancers

Fonda announced in September 2022 that she had been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a type of cancer of the immune system, also described as blood cancers of lymphocytes.

Before her lymphoma diagnosis, she previously battled breast cancer in 2010, which involved her undergoing a lumpectomy. A few years later, she was diagnosed with skin cancer that was removed from her lip in 2018.

In an emotional post announcing her latest diagnosis, Fonda wrote, “This is a very treatable cancer … so I feel very lucky.”

 

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“I’ve been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and have started chemo treatments,” she wrote. “This is a very treatable cancer. 80% of people survive, so I feel very lucky.”

Fonda continued, “I’m also lucky because I have health insurance and access to the best doctors and treatments. I realize, and it’s painful, that I am privileged in this.

“Almost every family in America has had to deal with cancer at one time or another, and far too many don’t have access to the quality health care I am receiving, and this is not right. We also need to be talking much more about cures and causes so we can eliminate them.”

Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma

“Non-Hodgkin lymphoma is a big category,” Dr. Julie Vose, chief of hematology/oncology at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, previously told SurvivorNet.

All non-Hodgkin lymphomas begin in white blood cells known as lymphocytes, which are part of your body’s immune system. From there, doctors categorize these cancers into types based on the specific type of lymphocytes they originate from: B cells or T cells.

Knowing which of these you have can help steer you to the most appropriate treatment.

One way doctors categorize these cancers is based on how quickly they’re likely to grow and spread. “The two main classifications I think of in terms of non-Hodgkin lymphoma are lymphomas that are more indolent and those that are more aggressive because those are treated very differently,” Dr. Jennifer Crombie, medical oncologist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, tells SurvivorNet.

About 85% of non-Hodgkin lymphomas affect B cells. These cells produce antibodies and proteins that react to foreign substances in your body, like viruses or bacteria. The antibodies bind to another protein on the surface of the invading cells, known as an antigen, to target and destroy them.

WATCH: Non-Hodgkin lymphoma Treatment

Fonda underwent chemotherapy for treatment. Though she handled her first treatments “quite well,” her last two were “rough.” Thankfully, doctors told her she was in remission in December 2022.

The award-winning performer revealed in 2010 that she experienced a breast cancer scare after doctors discovered a small, non-invasive tumor. She underwent a procedure at the time, and her representative declared her “cancer-free.”

Her career highlights intertwined with her cancer treatments. In 2016, Fonda had a mastectomy before the Golden Globe Awards.

In 2018, while speaking on the “TODAY” show, Fonda wore bandages on her face and explained at the time she had cancer removed from her lip.

“Well, the world is falling apart; what’s a lip?” Fonda asked. “Yeah, they did (biopsy it.) I’m going to be fine, thanks.”

Treatment Options for Lymphoma

The standard treatment for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma is a combination of four drugs that doctors nickname R-CHOP — the chemotherapy drugs cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, and vincristine plus the steroid prednisone.

“R-CHOP has been a standard treatment regimen for aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphomas of the B-cell subtype for many years,” Dr. Adrienne Phillips, medical oncologist at Weill Cornell Medicine, tells SurvivorNet.

Combining drugs allows the treatment to attack the cancer in different ways. “We can use that to get a remission,” Dr. Stephen Schuster, medical oncologist at Penn Medicine, tells SurvivorNet.

Dr. Schuster adds people still in the early stages of the disease may also receive radiation.

The success rate with this treatment is about 80% in people with stage I or II cancers. “So you’re getting two potentially curative approaches to your disease to get very high success rates,” Dr. Schuster says.

Here’s how the acronym breaks down:

• R:  Rituximab (Rituxan) is a monoclonal antibody that attaches to a specific protein called CD20, which sits on the surface of
• B cells. It targets the cancerous cells and destroys them.
• C: Cyclophosphamide is a type of chemotherapy drug
• D: Doxorubicin hydrochloride (hydroxydaunomycin) is a type of chemotherapy drug
• V: Vincristine sulfate (Oncovin) is a type of chemotherapy drug
• P: Prednisone is a steroid, which lowers inflammation

WATCH: Better understanding R-CHOP treatment regimen

Patients receiving R-CHOP receive the drug in six cycles that are three weeks apart.

“R-CHOP is a cocktail of drugs. There are five different drugs in that recipe,” Dr. Jennifer Crombie, medical oncologist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, tells SurvivorNet.

R-CHOP side effects can include:

• Tiredness and weakness
• Hair loss
• Mouth sores
• Bruising and bleeding
• Increased risk of infection
• Appetite loss and weight loss
• Changes in bowel movements

Fonda’s Run-Ins With Breast and Skin Cancer

In 2010, Fonda’s doctors discovered that she had a tumor in her breast. She underwent an undisclosed procedure to remove the tumor. Afterward, a representative for Fonda told People Magazine that she was “100% cancer-free.”

Years later, in 2016, Fonda received a double mastectomy, which is a procedure to remove both breasts. While details behind her decision to get the procedure are unclear, a double mastectomy may be performed as a preventative measure for women who are at high risk of developing breast cancer.

Shortly after Fonda’s procedure, she wore a white dress with ruffles at the Golden Globes and quipped about her fashion choice.

“I had to cover my bandages,” USA Today reports.

WATCH: Is a Preventative Mastectomy Right for Me?

“Risk-reducing mastectomies are an operation where we take women at, usually, very high-risk for getting breast cancer for genetic mutation carriers, who are the ones at the highest risk, there’s unfortunately only one way to actually prevent breast cancer,” Dr. Elisa Port, Chief of Breast Surgery at Mount Sinai Health System, tells SurvivorNet.

Some women decide to have their breasts reconstructed and have implants put in right after the mastectomy, while others don’t have reconstruction at all.

The benefits of a prophylactic or preventative surgery are:

• Significant reduction in cancer risk (from 80-90% to 1-2%)
• Nipples can often be spared
• Women can get reconstruction at the same time

In 2018, Fonda sported a bandage on her bottom lip during a “Today Show” appearance.

“I just had a cancer taken from my lip. I thought it was going to heal in time before I came before you, but it’s fine. I just want to explain it,” she told the morning show hosts.

 

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It is unclear the exact type of skin cancer Fonda had, but her publicist noted at the time after treatment she was “cancer-free.”

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