Shannen Doherty gives update, opens up about undergoing 'miracle' breast cancer treatment
Shannen Doherty is sharing a positive health update amid her battle with stage 4 breast cancer.
The former "Beverly Hills, 90210" star also discussed a new "miracle" cancer infusion treatment she's been undergoing during an episode of her "Let's Be Clear" podcast on Monday. The episode featured her oncologist, Dr. Amin Mirhadi.
Doherty, 52, did not say what kind of infusion treatment she was getting but described it as a positive move in her ongoing battle with the illness.
"After four treatments, we didn't really see a difference and everybody wanted me to switch, and I just was like, 'We're gonna keep going with this and see,'" Doherty said on the podcast. "After the sixth, seventh treatment we really saw it breaking down the blood-brain barrier. Do I call that a miracle? Yeah. For me, that happens to be a miracle right now. That I sort of rolled the dice and said, 'Let's keep going.'"
The blood-brain barrier is a protective layer lining the inner surface of blood vessels inside the brain and plays a vital role in maintaining function of the brain and nervous system, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
The former "Charmed" actress also discussed with her doctor how important staying positive is for a patient's mental and physical health while battling cancer.
"Hope is always there. I can die today, I can die in 20 years, I don't know. I can die walking outside of my house and a tree falling on me or a bus hitting me or whatever. Or I can die of cancer," Doherty said. "But all I can do is live each day in as much of a positive manner with a lot of hope as I can and embrace it and be like, 'Wow, I get to wake up again today, and what do I get to do?' I think that positivity that you bring into your life helps you with your whole body."
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Doherty was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015. She went into remission in 2017, but the cancer returned in 2019. She revealed on Instagram in June that cancer had spread to her brain amid her diagnosis with stage 4 breast cancer. She had the brain tumor surgically removed and underwent radiation.
In November, Doherty revealed that the cancer cells spread to her bones but that she was still undergoing treatment and seeking clinical trials to join. A month later, she started "Let's Be Clear" as a "live memoir podcast."
Contributing: Brian Truitt
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