Signs of breast cancer as Love Story actor Constance Zimmer diagnosed with breast cancer aged 55

Constance Zimmer has issued a plea to others to get their breasts checked if they think they may have cancer in light of her own experiences.

Zimmer, best known for starring in films and TV shows like Lincoln Lawyer, Love Story, Entourage, and UnREAL, has shared the news of her own breast cancer diagnosis for the first time.

The 55-year-old received the devastating news in March, she says. Zimmer has decided to go public with her health battles to march Breast Cancer Awareness Month – which falls in October each year.

"October is #breastcancerawarenessmonth and I never thought I’d be honoring it with my own story," she wrote on Instagram.

The actress went on to share that she was diagnosed with Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), also known as Stage 0 breast cancer, on March 13.

Constance Zimmer's diagnosis

"The silence was deafening," Zimmer recalled when she received her diagnosis. "Here I was surrounded by women sharing their secrets about their Midlife truths – and I was holding onto the biggest secret I’d ever held. First, I had to call my husband and get home to tell our daughter in person."

She continued: "The mental toll that followed was overwhelming on certain days as I began talking to many more doctors then I would’ve liked. Feeling like my options were limited and most suggested what was the quickest way to get this mass out ASAP, which was a mastectomy."

But, fortunately, Zimmer didn't end up needing a mastectomy and had a lumpectomy instead. She endured three surgeries over a three-week period, and her surgeon was successfully able to remove the lump. The House of Cards star then had radtioation therapy.

Now she's cancer free and described the last few months as 'one hell of a ride'.

Symptoms of DCIS

According to Mayo Clinic, sometimes DCIS doesn't actually present any symptoms and the cancer is found during a mammogram.

"It appears as tiny flecks of calcium in the breast tissue," the website explains. "These are calcium deposits, often referred to as calcifications."

Should someone experience symptoms though, they may be a lump in the breast or nipple discharge that is 'bloody, watery or yellow in color'. This discharge will come out on its own without squeezing the breast or nipple.

But Zimmer has urged people not to wait until you develop symptoms. She said in her Instagram post: "Please not wait until you have symptoms to get yourself checked in all ways possible."