ESPN anchor Hannah Storm shared her breast cancer diagnosis publicly for the first time in an emotional interview on “Good Morning America” on Tuesday.
The 61-year-old Storm — who’s been with ESPN since 2008 and anchors “SportsCenter,” among other shows — explained that she was diagnosed in January with ductal carcinoma in situ, or DCIS, a type of stage 0 breast cancer in which the cancer cells have not spread beyond the breasts’ milk ducts.
DCIS is noninvasive and the earliest stage of breast cancer, which means the cancer has not spread to other tissues in the breast, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Storm told GMA’s Robin Roberts she underwent a successful lumpectomy and is currently cancer-free, per her doctors.
The sports broadcaster added that she will be taking a medication, tamoxifen, for three years.
ESPN anchor Hannah Storm shared her breast cancer diagnosis publicly for the first time on “Good Morning America” on March 19, 2024. X/GMA Tamoxifen is a hormone therapy drug that “is used to reduce the risk of developing a more serious type of breast cancer in women who have had ductal carcinoma in situ,” according to the National Library of Medicine.
Storm said she and her doctor both were shocked over the diagnosis because she gets yearly screenings, has no risk factors and no history of breast cancer in her family.
“I was shocked because, again, I had had mammograms every year. I have no risk factors. I have no breast cancer in my family. I did not have a lump. I did not have pain. I don’t have any genetic predisposition to breast cancer,” Storm said. “And what I came to learn is the vast majority of women who are diagnosed with breast cancer don’t have risk factors, and so I’ve got to say I was shocked. I was scared.”
Hannah Storm and Jay Harris on “SportsCenter.” Instagram/Hannah Storm Storm recalled having a mammogram during her yearly breast cancer screening in November 2023, and became worried when she didn’t hear back immediately about her results.
She contacted her doctor and was told she had “dense breasts” and sent her for an ultrasound, which she said was common and something she’s done before.
After her ultrasound in January, Storm said her doctors sent her for a biopsy and contacted her less than 24 hours later informing her of her DCIS diagnosis.
Storm said she considers herself lucky because her cancer was detected early.
She and her husband, Dan Hicks, have three daughters.
