Local actress Pan Lingling has come out to reveal that she was diagnosed with breast cancer last year but that it is now in remission.

In 2013, Shin Min Daily News reported that Pan pulled out of a drama series after she discovered a lump in her left breast during a routine ultrasound check-up.

Pan told the media that she was diagnosed with cysts in her breast and had to take sick leave for an operation. Shin Min Daily News reported that she had decided to undergo the operation to attain peace of mind.

Now it has surfaced that the one of the lumps removed was a cancerous lump.

Chinese daily Lianhe Wanbao reported that Pan did not disclose the news then because she did not want people to worry about her and wanted to recover in peace.

Today she has decided to reveal her brush with cancer in hope that more women will become aware of the importance of early diagnosis of breast cancer and regular checkups.

She said that she underwent surgery in mid-March last year, and also had to go through chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

Shin Min also reported last year that this is not the first time Pan has been afflicted by cysts in her breasts. She said in an interview that when she was in her twenties, she had a smaller cyst develop in her breast.

The cyst back then was about the size of a green bean, and she had it removed.

Other than her health problems, the past year has been a trying one for Pan as in November, her father was also diagnosed with cancer.

Last month, he passed away from lung cancer after his heart stopped and she and her younger brothers had to make the decision of whether to resuscitate him.

His death was extremely difficult for her as she had been very close to him, The New Paper reported.

Said Pan: "I love my dad more than anything in this world and he can't be replaced."