Actor Shannen Doherty Receives ‘Miracle’ Treatment for Metastatic Breast Cancer

Since first revealing her breast cancer diagnosis in 2015, the actor and podcast host Shannen Doherty, 52, has been very open about her health journey. She regularly shares glimpses into her daily life, treatments, and the challenges she’s encountered at each stage, including the news last year that her breast cancer had spread to her bones and her brain.

Her authenticity resonates with followers, and she’s used her social media platform to demonstrate both vulnerability and strength.

Most recently, in the January 29 episode of her “live memoir” podcast, Let’s Be Clear, Doherty — who first rose to fame in the 1990s in her role as Brenda Walsh on the iconic teen drama Beverly Hills, 90210 — shared that her latest infusion treatment for stage 4 breast cancer is a “miracle.”

“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 explained. “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.’”

While she didn’t offer additional details about the treatment, she discussed the importance of maintaining a positive outlook.

“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.”

Thanks to early detection and advancing treatments, the number of women surviving with metastatic breast cancer increased by 31 percent from 2010 to 2020, according to research, and is expected to increase to 55 percent by 2030.

November 2023: Doherty Shares That Her Stage 4 Metastatic Cancer Has Spread to the Bones

In an interview with People magazine, Doherty divulged that her metastatic breast cancer had spread to her bones — yet she remained undeterred. “I’m not done with living. I’m not done with loving. I’m not done with creating. I’m not done with hopefully changing things for the better,” she told People. “I’m just not — I’m not done.”

Metastatic breast cancer (stage 4) is when breast cancer spreads beyond the breast, to the bones, liver, brain, or another organ. About 3 in 10 women diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer develop metastatic breast cancer, according to Breastcancer.org.

It happens when cancer cells break off from the original tumor, enter the bloodstream or lymph system, and spread to other areas of the body. Most metastatic cancers are manageable, but not curable, according to the National Cancer Institute.

The five-year survival rate for women with metastatic breast cancer in the United States is 30 percent, per the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

Most commonly, bone metastases are treated with a therapy that fights the cancer along with a medicine that can strengthen the bone to prevent fracture and pain, according to the American Cancer Society. These medicines are also used to treat osteoporosis. They are crucial for patients with bone metastases because they make the bones much stronger — and stronger bones are better at resisting cancer.

After sharing the news about that diagnosis, Doherty expressed her hope to get into clinical trials.

Breastcancer.org offers a breast cancer trial search to help match women with metastatic breast cancer to the appropriate clinical trial.

January 2023: Doherty’s Breast Cancer Spreads to the Brain

In January 2023 Doherty posted on Instagram: “My CT scan showed mets [metastases] in my brain.”

She shared an emotional video that showed her undergoing radiation with a custom-made mask that kept her head still so the lasers could target the tumor as accurately as possible.

Because metastatic breast cancer is made up of cells from the original tumor that first developed in the breast, if it spreads to the brain, the metastatic tumor in the brain is made up of breast cancer cells, not brain cancer cells.

February 2020: The Cancer Returns as Stage 4, Metastatic

Doherty disclosed that her cancer had returned, now at stage 4, metastatic, in an interview with Good Morning America. “I don’t think I’ve processed it. It’s a bitter pill to swallow in a lot of ways,” she said.

Even after receiving her diagnosis, she continued to work, this time on a reboot of 90210. Although she had been very public about her cancer journey to that point, Doherty kept the news to herself for the first few months because she wanted to prove she could continue to work. “Like, you know, our life doesn’t end the minute we get that diagnosis. We still have some living to do.”

May 2018: Doherty Undergoes Breast Reconstruction Surgery

Two and a half years after revealing her breast cancer diagnosis, Doherty shared a photo of herself in the hospital with her mother by her side on Instagram.

“Happy Mother’s Day mom ... I love you. Thank you for always being there. I’d write more but pain pills are kicking in. #reconstruction.”

If a woman chooses to have breast reconstruction, it can be done at the same time as a mastectomy, or it can be performed later, according to Susan G. Komen. Other health conditions, surgical risk factors, and future treatments are all considered when planning the time of reconstruction.

April 2017: Breast Cancer Remission Brings Mixed Emotions

Doherty wrote on Instagram that although her heart was certainly lighter upon learning that her breast cancer was in remission, she also expressed uncertainty about the future. “Good news? YES. Overwhelming. YES. Now more waiting. As every single one of my fellow cancer family knows, the next five years is crucial. Reoccurrences happen all the time.”

Ultimately, the actor expressed gratitude. “I am blessed, I know that. But for now … remission. I’m just going to breathe. #cancerslayer.”

Remission means that the signs and symptoms of cancer are reduced. When there isn’t any evidence of cancer on physical exam, blood work, or imaging tests, cancer is considered in complete remission, according to the National Cancer Institute.

August 2016: Doherty Reveals That She Had a Mastectomy — and That Her Breast Cancer May Have Spread

Doherty revealed that she had a single mastectomy in May, and that “the unknown is the scariest part” of her cancer journey, in an interview with Entertainment Tonight.

A bilateral mastectomy is when both breasts are removed, and a single mastectomy is when one breast is removed.

"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 said. Doherty explained that because of that, she would be undergoing chemo followed by radiation.

If breast cancer spreads beyond the breast, it typically goes first to the nearby lymph nodes under the arm, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS). It can also sometimes spread to lymph nodes located near the collarbone or breastbone.

The treatment Doherty described is typical: Women who have a mastectomy are usually treated with radiation if cancer has spread to the lymph nodes, according to ACS.

August 2015: Doherty Announces She’s Been Diagnosed With Breast Cancer

The actress revealed to People magazine that she was first diagnosed with breast cancer in March 2015, when she discovered she had invasive breast cancer metastatic to at least one lymph node.

“I am continuing to eat right, exercise, and stay very positive about my life,” she said. “I am thankful to my family, friends, and doctors for their support and, of course, my fans who have stood by me,” she said in a statement.

It’s estimated that every year about 240,000 cases of breast cancer are diagnosed in women and 2,100 cases in men, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Except for skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in women in the United States.