'The Pitt' Star Katherine LaNasa’s Breast Cancer Journey

On September 14, 2025, American actress Katherine LaNasa secured her first Emmy at the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards. The win came from her very first nomination, marking a career milestone in over 3 decades.

The 59-year-old was previously diagnosed with stage 1 breast cancer in February 2023.

In an exclusive essay published in Women’s Health, LaNasa detailed her cancer journey. She shared how the diagnosis “hit her like a ton of bricks” and reflected on how a lifetime of stress and alcoholism likely contributed to the cancer development. Her treatment included surgery and about 3 weeks of daily radiation.

LaNasa revealed that her diagnosis was not her first cancer scare. When she was in her 30s, an inconclusive mammogram result led to a stressful biopsy. Although the results were ultimately benign, she discovered that she had dense breasts, a risk factor associated with breast cancer.

Despite being diagnosed with cancer, LaNasa adopted a positive outlook. Her first thought was “why not me?”, rather than “why me?” She also consistently chose gratitude and appreciation for the support and therapies she received.

However, she later opened up on The Daily Show about the exhausting reality of her diagnosis, confessing that the cancer’s persistence ultimately “broke” her initial positivity.

Fortunately, her adherence to routine mammograms resulted in an early diagnosis and subsequent successful treatment, which eventually left her cancer-free.

Post-treatment, LaNasa found new momentum with roles in Daredevil: Born Again and medical drama The Pitt. She credits her successful audition for the latter to her own personal experience with nurses as a cancer patient. She won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress for this role.

In The Pitt, LaNasa portrayed Nurse Dana, who was inspired by the nurses she encountered. As she wrote, she wanted “Dana to be a love letter and a thank you to all the people who treated (her) so kindly, so lovingly, and so thoughtfully when (she) had cancer.”

Aside from work, for LaNasa, life after cancer means managing stress the moment it arises. “It could be a bath or breathing alone outside,” she explained. “Or it could be a yoga class, a walk, a run, a swim, or playing with my kid. I’m working on letting go and living life in a forward direction.”