Sandra Lee has breast cancer

Sandra Lee – celebrity chef and longtime girlfriend of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo – announced she will have a double mastectomy this week after being diagnosed with breast cancer. Lee says she found out about her breast cancer after having a routine mammogram.

The type of breast cancer Lee was diagnosed with is ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). DCIS is a common noninvasive breast cancer that is contained within the milk ducts of the breast. If left untreated, this can develop into an invasive form of breast cancer over time. Women who are diagnosed with DCIS most commonly receive treatment which includes a lumpectomy followed by radiation therapy, or a mastectomy. Fortunately, the survival rate for this type of breast cancer is high.

After Lee had a mammogram to screen for breast cancer, she then had a breast biopsy to confirm the diagnosis. She also had testing for BRCA1 and BRCA2, two genes which are known to increase the risk of breast and ovarian cancer. The results for the genes came back as negative.

Lee had a lumpectomy, but now plans to have a mastectomy. "When the lumpectomy was done, they did not have clean margins. And so I went back to my radiologist," who told her she would have daily radiation for six to eight weeks. They also suggested that she have a mastectomy. Lee decided to have a mastectomy because she did not want to have radiation therapy, which requires a much lengthier process.

"And so I said, 'OK. If I'm going to have a mastectomy, am I supposed to just get one done?' Both the radiologist and the doctor said, 'You're a ticking time bomb.' And they both said, 'You need -- I would just get them both done,'" said Lee.

Sandra Lee is 48 years old and have been dating Governor Cuomo for ten years. Cuomo says he plans to be right by her side throughout her treatment plan. He released a statement saying that while he was devastated by her diagnosis, he is glad her cancer was found early.

"A situation like this quickly puts life in the proper perspective and reminds one of what’s truly important. To that end, I expect to take some personal time because I want to be with Sandy to support her in any way I can as she handles the trauma of her operation and the pain of the recovery,” Cuomo said. “For those of you familiar with Sandy’s life story it will not surprise you that she has met this latest challenge with determination, resolve and grace."

Lee says she is happy she did not wait until she was 50 years old to have be screened for breast cancer with a mammogram. The new guidelines to breast cancer screening state women should not be screened until they are 50 years old.

Lee says that once she has made a full recovery, she plans to spread awareness about breast cancer and early detection: "I plan to spread the word about early detection." She says she chose to go public with her diagnosis because she wants women in their 20s and 30s to at least be aware of the disease.

"Girls in 20s and their 30s just have to know. And I don't want women to wait. And that's why I'm talking … If it saves one person, and makes one more person go get a mammogram, and if they're sitting down right now watching this, don't watch this TV. Go pick your phone up, and call your doctor and get your rear end in there and get a mammogram right now," she said.

Learn more about when breast cancer screenings here.