Shannen Doherty Health Update: Everything To Know About Her Breast Cancer Journey So Far
"My mind was consumed by thoughts of cancer—what it meant and what lay ahead."
It’s been years since actress Shannen Doherty publicly shared her cancer diagnosis, and since that time, she’s been detailing her treatments, successes, and struggles along the way. The Beverly Hills 90210 alum regularly gives fans updates on her health journey on Instagram and her podcast, Let’s Be Clear with Shannen Doherty. The 52-year-old, who has stage 4 breast cancer, recently shared on her podcast that cancer treatment has impacted her sex drive. So, she decided to visit an ob/gyn who recommended that she use sex toys to help kickstart it—and even sent her home with one.
Here’s a look back at Shannen’s journey, from treatments, surgeries, and remission, to her cancer returning and where she is, both mentally and physically, today.
She revealed her breast cancer diagnosis in 2015.
Shannen made headlines when she revealed that she had breast cancer back in 2015. At the time, she had sued her former business manager for allegedly “failing to pay her insurance premiums,” per CNN. This, Shannen said, prevented her from receiving medical care that she claimed could have helped catch the cancer earlier. The lawsuit claimed that her cancer “had spread during 2014 when she was uninsured due to her ex-manager’s alleged error” and that “if the cancer had been caught earlier, she wouldn’t have had to undergo chemotherapy and a mastectomy,” the outlet reported.
In response, her former manager, Tanner Mainstain, released a statement that read: “Tanner Mainstain is saddened to learn that Ms. Doherty is suffering from cancer and wishes her a full recovery … However, the claim that Tanner Mainstain caused her to be uninsured, prevented her from seeking medical care, or somehow contributed to her cancer is patently false,” per Entertainment Tonight.
The lawsuit was settled in 2016, but the financial terms were not disclosed. As a result of TMZ reporting on the initial lawsuit, Shannen was forced to confirm her diagnosis. Still, she told People that she was “continuing to eat right, exercise and stay very positive about my life.” She underwent a single mastectomy in May 2015 as part of her cancer treatment.
She started documenting her journey.
Soon after her public statement about the cancer, Shannen began sharing updates about her journey on Instagram, telling fans about treatments she was undergoing, as well as how she was feeling on any given day.
In 2016, she documented the process of shaving her head during chemotherapy treatment with some emotional photos.
In 2016, Shannen shared that the cancer had spread to her lymph nodes.
“I had breast cancer that spread to the lymph nodes, and from one of my surgeries we discovered that some of the cancer cells might have actually gone out of the lymph nodes,” she told ET. “So for that reason, we are doing chemo, and then after chemo, I’ll do radiation.”
Shannen also shared her fears around what was to come.
“The unknown is always the scariest part,” she said. “Is the chemo going to work? Is the radiation going to work? You know, am I going to have to go through this again, or am I going to get secondary cancer? Everything else is manageable. Pain is manageable, you know living without a breast is manageable, it’s the worry of your future and how your future is going to affect the people that you love.”
She went into remission in 2017.
The actress posted a moving photo in an Instagram post on April 28, 2017, talking about how she had finally gone into remission. In the picture, Shannen is sitting on a floor with her head in her hands.
“Moments. They happen. Today was and is a moment. What does remission mean? I heard that word and have no idea how to react. Good news? YES. Overwhelming. YES. Now more waiting,” she wrote in the caption. “As every single one of my fellow cancer family knows, the next five years is crucial. Reoccurrences happen all the time…. So with a heart that is certainly lighter, I wait.”
Shannen had breast reconstruction in 2018.
Two and a half years after her mastectomy, Shannen decided to get her breast reconstructed, and revealed that she spent Mother’s Day in the hospital. “Happy Mother’s Day mom. I only bring you to the best places…..hospital food..yum,” She joked in the caption. “I love you. Thank you for always being there. I’d write more but pain pills are kicking in. @themamarosa #reconstruction.”
