Shannen Doherty shares her “miracle” cancer treatment journey

Amidst her fight with stage 4 breast cancer, Shannen Doherty has given an update on her health.

On January 29, Monday’s Let's Be Clear podcast session, the former Beverly Hills, 90210 star also talked about a recent "miracle" cancer infusion treatment she's been receiving. The podcast featured Dr. Amin Mirhadi, her oncologist.

She said,

“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. 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 52-year-old Doherty described her infusion treatment as a great step in her continuous fight against the illness, but she did not specify what kind of medication she was receiving.

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Shannen Doherty’s battle with breast cancer

After receiving a breast cancer diagnosis in 2015, Shannen Doherty underwent radiation, chemotherapy, and a mastectomy. Doherty declared she was in remission in the year 2017.

Doherty said her breast cancer had returned and was at stage 4 three years later. She revealed last year that the cancer had progressed to her brain and bones and that she had undergone brain surgery to remove a tumor.

Talking about the mental health effects of terminal illnesses like cancer, she said,

“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.”

She also 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.”

Shannen Doherty's radiation oncologist, Amin Mirhadi, M.D., who joined as her radio guest, concurred that optimism is contagious, both mentally and physically. The actress disclosed that in addition to the infusion, she is receiving radiation treatments, which involve high-energy beams intended to kill tumor cells.

Let's Be Clear with Shannen Doherty is a memoir-style podcast where Doherty explores the theme of reflecting on her life after her eight-year cancer journey. She wants to demonstrate that those who are suffering from terminal diseases still have a lot to offer the world while also increasing awareness of and funding for cancer research.