Joan Lunden's Breast Cancer Journey
- Former Good Morning America host and triple-negative breast cancer survivor Joan Lunden, 75, is inspiring others with her belief that it’s never too late to reinvent yourself.
- The mom of seven was first diagnosed with a type of cancer called triple-negative breast cancer back in 2014.
- After undergoing treatment, and in the time since, she’s become an advocate for breast cancer awareness — even sharing her own experience learning she had “dense breasts.”
- The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force suggests women with average breast cancer risk begin screening mammograms once every two years at the age of 40. It’s important to note that women with the BRCA gene mutation, who have a family history of cancer, or have dense breasts are at higher risk and should talk with their doctor about when to begin screening. It may be younger than 40.
- Remember that survivorship, as seen in Lunden’s case, is not a final destination but an ongoing journey. It begins at the moment of diagnosis and continues throughout a person’s life. This is why people often say that “from the moment of diagnosis, you become a survivor”—a powerful idea that captures the courage and resilience required to face and live with a serious illness.
The former longtime co-host of Good Morning America, who beat stage two triple negative breast cancer in March 2015, offered encouraging insight about life during a recent interview with Woman’s World about her new memoir JOAN: Life Beyond the Script.
Read MoreShe told Woman’s World that one of her mottos is “reinvention never retires.” She even named it one of the chapter titles in her new book.
What You Need to Know About Survivorship
View this post on Instagram
“If you just stay open to doing new things—that’s kind of how I’ve lived these next chapters,” she said, referring to her time after working for GMA.
“People always say, ‘I can’t believe all the things you’ve done.’ It’s because I said yes every time somebody asked me to do something,” she added.
Lunden also offered some heartfelt advice on seeing parents age and reminding others to ask them important questions like, “What was I like as a little kid? Did any of our relatives have colon cancer or breast cancer?”
More Resources For Living a Better Life
In an Instagram post promoting her book, Lunden said, “JOAN: Life Beyond the Script has been many years in the making.
“It is my legacy memoir; sharing the life chapters that shaped me, both on and off camera, and the lessons I learned along the way.”
She continued, “There are stories in these pages I’ve never shared before, and throughout the book you’ll find QR codes you can scan to step even deeper into the memories.
They unlock behind-the-scenes moments and pieces of my life, bringing each chapter to life in a whole new way. If you’ve ever wondered what happens behind the headlines or how to keep reinventing yourself at any stage of life, this book is for you.”
Lunden’s book is scheduled for release on March 3, 2026.
Joan Lunden’s Breast Cancer Journey
In 2014, Lunden was diagnosed with stage 2 triple-negative breast cancer, which means Lunden’s cancer was not being fueled by any of the three main types of receptors: estrogen, progesterone, or the HER2 protein.
Since triple-negative breast cancer is constantly unresponsive to certain targeted therapies, including hormone therapy or HER2-targeted agents like Herceptin, chemotherapy is typically the treatment and there are several options.
“Any triple-negative cancer that’s over half a centimeter or has lymph node involvement needs chemotherapy,” Dr. Julie Nangia, medical oncologist at Baylor College of Medicine said.
Triple-negative breast cancer is an aggressive form of the disease and if the cancer is advanced, your doctor may also recommend participation in a clinical trial that involves immunotherapy or targeted therapies.
“She went through chemo and if I couldn’t be at a session, Joan’s girls would be there. It’s all about the support, it’s about the family, it’s about the community, it’s about loved ones,” her supportive husband Jeff Konigsberg previously said, while detailing Lunden’s breast cancer treatment.
WATCH: Joan Lunden Ages With Candor
Meanwhile, in an earlier interview with SurvivorNet, Lunden shared that she knew little about breast cancer before she was diagnosed with it.
“Candidly,” Lunden said. “I never thought I would be one of the women who would get breast cancer.”
“The fact that I didn’t understand the significance of dense breast tissue kind of just lit a fire in me and sent me on this mission to say, ‘Here I am a journalist, and how could I have been so uneducated about something so incredibly important,” she explained.
WATCH: Joan Lunden Helps Best-selling author Laura Mortons Through Cancer
Understanding Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
Triple-negative breast cancer is one of the most aggressive forms of the disease and makes up for approximately 20 percent of all breast cancers. The treatment approach varies from patient to patient and may include a combination of different treatments.
Early-stage triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) treatments may use a combination of chemotherapy drugs.
Understanding Triple Negative Breast Cancer
For example, a CMF regimen is an abbreviation for combining chemotherapy drugs cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, and fluorouracil. AC stands for doxorubicin (Adriamycin) with cyclophosphamide, and ACT just indicates that a taxane drug is added to the regimen. Likewise, TC is an abbreviation for a regimen of Taxotere and cyclophosphamide.
RELATED: In Triple Negative Breast Cancer, New Drug Trodelvy Extends Life
In 2021, the FDA approved the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab for the treatment of early-stage triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Pembrolizumab (Keytruda) is already used to treat other cancers, including melanoma and non-small cell lung cancer. Doctors heralded the FDA’s approval of pembrolizumab as a potentially paradigm-shifting advancement in breast cancer treatment.
RELATED: New Study Identifies Genes Linked to Increased Risk for Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
For patients with stage 2 or 3 TNBC, adding the immune-boosting medication pembrolizumab to combination chemotherapy before surgery increases chances of living free of breast cancer, explains oncologist Dr. Sylvia Adams, director of the Breast Cancer Center at NYU Langone’s Perlmutter Cancer Center.
She was one of several researchers involved with the pembrolizumab trials. “It changes the standard of care and should be discussed with all patients diagnosed with stage 2-3 TNBC,” she adds. “Yes, it’s a game-changer, though there is much more to be learned.”
RELATED: The First Immunotherapy Approved For Breast Cancer Hope For Triple Negative Breast Cancer
Until recently, researchers hadn’t had much success using the therapy to fight breast cancer. That’s changing now. The IMpassion130 trial showed for the first time that a combination of immunotherapy and chemotherapy had a significant effect in treating metastatic triple negative breast cancer. Triple negative breast cancer is an extremely aggressive form of the disease, so this discovery is important.
Dr. Sylvia Adams explains, “The question now becomes, is it only triple negative breast cancer that can benefit from immunotherapy, or are there other subtypes as well?
“If a tumor has the PD-L1 protein in it, that means there’s already an inflammatory response, that the patient’s immune system already recognized the tumor and was starting to work against it. The benefit of identifying such a strong biomarker in the triple negative subset will allow us to actually test for the presence and responsiveness to immunotherapy in other subtypes of breast cancer.”
Is My Cancer Really Triple-Negative?
Dr. Heather McArthur, Clinical Director of the Breast Cancer Program at Simmons Cancer Center at UT Southwestern Medical Center, has spoken with SurvivorNet on this relevant topic.
You might be told you have triple-negative breast cancer, that means that your cancer is not being fueled by any of the three main types of receptors: estrogen, progesterone nor the HER2 protein. But now you could be categorized as HER2 low instead of HER2 negative.
Breast cancer cells with higher-than-normal levels of HER2 are called HER2-positive, those with low levels of HER2 are (or were) called HER2 negative. Recently, however, researchers have looked to further expand this definition to include patients that have a minimal amount of HER2 expression but do not meet the classic definition for HER2-positive tumors. This group has been called HER2 “low” and is very important as it represents almost 50% of all patients with breast cancer.
This excitement stems from the fact that HER2-low breast cancers are targetable with a recently new FDA-approved Enhertu (Fam-trastuzumab deruxtecan-nxki). It appears that Enhertu is extremely effective for appropriate patients and can greatly improve their quality of life and help them live longer.
Therefore, it is exceedingly important to discuss with your physician about your HER2 status.
What You Need to Know About Survivorship
Whether you’re beginning your journey into survivorship or are a seasoned survivor, you’ll quickly learn that it’s a term with many layers. At its simplest, ‘survivorship’ signifies the state of living beyond a challenging event or diagnosis, such as cancer. More specifically, it marks the period after treatment where a patient goes from merely surviving to thriving, as they navigate their newfound lease on life.
It’s important to remember that survivorship isn’t just an end state – it’s a continuous journey. It begins the moment a person is diagnosed with a significant health condition and continues throughout their life. You might hear people say things like, “from the moment of diagnosis, you become a survivor.”
It’s a powerful sentiment that reflects the courage and resilience involved in battling a serious illness.
Being a survivor also means redefining your life while coping with the aftermath of disease and its treatment. This phase might include the challenge of dealing with physical and emotional changes, attending regular check-ups, the fear of recurrence, or the need for long-term medication. Despite these hurdles, many survivors find unique strength, growth, and transformation during this time.
Survivorship is much more than just the absence of disease—it’s a new stage of life, a rite of passage. Your journey might not have been one you would have chosen, but through it, you’ll uncover a greater understanding of yourself and what you’re capable of. Each person’s survivorship journey is unique, and how you choose to travel is entirely up to you.
Remember—navigating this new terrain called ‘Survivorship’. It might be challenging, but remember, you’re not alone. There are ample resources and support systems designed to help you along the way.
Continued Medical Care
Don’t lose sight of the importance of continued medical care – always keep your follow-up appointments and adhere to any healthcare recommendations.
Remember, embracing these coping strategies can help you navigate your way into survivorship with greater ease and renewed energy. Just remember – slow and steady wins the race! You’ve overcome huge hurdles, it’s okay to take this new stage of your life at your own pace.
Resilient learning to overcome any obstacle
Additionally, health checkups are an integral part of maintaining wellness and spotting potential health issues early. This holds true for everyone, but even more so for a person who’s in the throes of survivorship.
One of the main reasons you’ll want to maintain routine health checks is to monitor for recurrence. While the hope is always for complete recovery, there’s a possibility of the disease returning—even with successful treatment. Regular checkups allow you to keep a vigilant eye on the situation, leading to early detection and treatment if any problem emerges.
Screening For Breast Cancer
Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
