“Charmed” and “Beverly Hills, 90210” actor Shannen Doherty said on Instagram Tuesday that her breast cancer, first diagnosed in 2015, has spread to her brain.
The news was shared with a emotional video of Doherty, 52, crying as she underwent radiation. The process involves patients wearing a custom-made mask that holds their head still during treatment so the lasers can hit the tumor as precisely as possible.
“On Jan. 5, my CT scan showed Mets in my brain,” Doherty said. “…On January 12th the first round of radiation took place. My fear is obvious.”
Doherty says she is “extremely claustrophobic” and had “a lot going on in my life” when she had the treatment. The announcement came a day after she shared another video of herself getting her radiation mask on after receiving a CT scan.
“That fear… The turmoil… the timing of everything… This is what cancer can feel like,” she added.
Doherty has been dealing with her cancer diagnosis for years. she was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015, after she says her dog Bowie started “obsessively sniff” his side. By 2016, the cancer had spread to her lymph nodes and she had to undergo eight rounds of chemotherapy and radiation.
She entered remission in 2017, but a year later, her tumor markers were “elevated,” according to the Associated Press. Then, in 2020, he announced on “Good Morning America” that he had returned as stage 4meaning it has spread beyond its original location, according to the American Cancer Society.
Doherty broke the news that her cancer has spread weeks after the “Heathers” star filed for divorce from her husband, Kurt Iswarienko, her rep told Associated Press. They had been married for 11 years.
“Divorce is the last thing Shannen wanted,” her publicist told the outlet. “Unfortunately, he felt he had no other choice.”
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