There's some pretty sad news coming out of the Dancing with the Stars camp: former co-host Samantha Harris has announced that she's been diagnosed with breast cancer, and will undergo a double mastectomy! 

Entertainment Tonight confirms that Harris -- a mother of two -- has decided to undergo the radical procedure. Her reasoning behind the decision, she told the television show in the exclusive interview, is because she wanted to be there for her two young daughters. 

"My daughters are three and six [years old]. All they're concerned about is to have mommy active, [to] be able to hold them, hug them, kiss them, be there, be present for everything," she said. "No matter how positive of a diagnosis as I have, it doesn't keep the demons of fear from taking over your mind and your thought process and thinking about the girls and thinking about [how] my dad wasn't able to walk me down the aisle. I will be here to plan my daughters weddings and they better like the dress I pick."

According to ABC News, Harris -- who, in addition to her duties on Dancing with the Stars, also hosted such shows as The Next Joe Millionaire and Who Wants to be a Millionaire -- is joining many people in undergoing this radical procedure. Angelina Jolie and Miss America contestant Allyn Rose are just two of the many women who have undergone the radical procedure in response to their breast cancer diagnosis. So, is this really the recommended option?

Well, according to many doctors, it's only in rare instances that a double mastectomy should be attempted. Reasons for getting a double mastectomy include:

  • women who have already had radiation therapy to the affected breast
  • women with two or more areas of cancer in the same breast that are too far apart to be removed through one surgical incision, while keeping the appearance of the breast satisfactory
  • women whose initial lumpectomy along with (one or more) re-excisions has not completely removed the cancer
  • women with certain serious connective tissue diseases such as scleroderma, which make them especially sensitive to the side effects of radiation therapy
  • pregnant women who would require radiation while still pregnant (risking harm to the child)
  • women with a tumor larger than 5cm (2 inches) that doesn't shrink with chemotherapy
  • women with a cancer that is large relative to her breast size
  • women who have tested positive for a deleterious mutation on the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene and opt for a preventive mastectomy, since they are at high risk for the development of breast cancer (as was the case for Angelina Jolie).