Shannen Doherty’s eight-year struggle with breast cancer has been far from easy. She just posted an Instagram update about her health, writing, “Early morning doctors visit for scans.”
After noticing a lump in her breast, Doherty was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015. After some time on hormone therapy, she needed radiation, chemotherapy, and a single mastectomy.
In 2017, Doherty’s cancer went into remission. Unfortunately, stage IV breast cancer returned in February 2020. Her sickness has also caused damage to other areas of her body.
Breast cancer is staged from 0 to IV, with higher numbers indicating a more invasive form of the disease or how far cancer has spread from the original tumour.
According to the Mayo Clinic, stage 0 implies a disease that is benign or contained within the milk ducts. In contrast, stage IV (also known as metastatic breast cancer, which Doherty is in) indicates that cancer has migrated to other body parts.
According to the Cancer Society, more than 150,000 breast cancer survivors in the United States have metastatic illnesses.
Despite the fact that metastatic breast cancer is typically fatal, research has shown that the average longevity of patients diagnosed with the disease has grown considerably due to technical advances.
Last year, Doherty was featured in the television films List of a Lifetime and Dying to Belong as a method to get through the difficult years of cancer treatment.
The actress has openly disclosed many aspects of her cancer battle on social media, including her chemotherapy experiences.
In a post about her battle with breast cancer last October, she also admitted to her followers, “I had many nose bleeds following the therapy.”
“I’m not sure whether any of you have come across this. I, too, was fatigued. To cheer myself up, I changed into some hilarious pyjamas sent to me by my buddy Kristy.”
“Have they truly made me feel better? Yes!! Lol. I could make fun of myself because I thought I was stupid. By laughing, I was able to go through what seemed impossible. I suppose we can all laugh at the foolishness.”