Shannen Hits Theaters
- Shannen Doherty, 51, is gaining traction as new project, Hot Seat, hits theaters while the actress is in recovery from stage 4 breast cancer treatment.
- Doherty continues working after undergoing treatment, something doctors say can be common within patients who are exceedingly driven.
- Experts say that with advanced disease, the goal of treatment is to keep you as stable as possible, slow the tumor growth and improve your quality of life.
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The movie comes out Friday, July 1, which will be competing for theater ticket sales with several other new releases, like Minions: Rise of Gru, The Princess, and Rubikon.Doherty is proud to promote this new project she’s been working on. Fans and followers are impressed to see her working after overcoming such a serious breast cancer diagnosis.
Working Through Cancer
Receiving a cancer diagnosis is a life-altering event, and seeking out glimpses of normalcy during the battle is often welcome. For most people, even Doherty, continuing to work or going back to work every day if you're well enough to do so can be an effective strategy for keeping things as "normal" as possible during an abnormal health event like cancer.
Fans praise her for working despite her battle.
“See you have been busy making movies great to see you keep a positive mind about. Looks good,” comments one fan on a recent promotional post of hers.
Doherty makes it clear in her social media posts that she loves her job and is eager to continue working despite her cancer diagnosis.
Laurie Ostacher, a clinical social worker at Sutter Health's Palo Alto Medical Foundation, tells SurvivorNet how important a person's career may be to them, even during the cancer battle. "Some women choose to continue working (through cancer) because working is a significant part of their identity," she says. "They enjoy the job, and there's flexibility built in." This is something Shannen Doherty can attest to, as she’s kept busy through it all.
"I help folks think about whether it makes sense to work," she adds. "If you really don't want to but are worried you're not going to be able to make ends meet, then I'll sit down and help them figure out, you know, with your disability insurance, would this be possible?"
Shannen's Breast Cancer Battle
Shannen Doherty's battle with breast cancer dates back to when she was first diagnosed in 2015 with the disease; a lump found in her breast turned out to be malignant (cancerous). To fight it, she underwent hormone therapy, but the treatments were ineffective; the cancer had spread to her lymph nodes.
The actress underwent a single mastectomy surgery to remove a breast; she also had chemotherapy and radiation treatments. One common treatment path for many people fighting breast cancer is surgery, such as a mastectomy or lumpectomy. (A lumpectomy is a surgery to remove cancerous breast tissue along with a rim of normal tissue.)
Metastatic Breast Cancer: You Are Not a Statistic
Doherty's cancer went into remission, but she announced in February 2020 that her cancer had returned, and it had spread to other parts of her body. This is stage 4 cancer, also known as metastatic disease.
Stage 4, or metastatic, cancers have spread beyond the breast and nearby lymph nodes to other parts of the body. When breast cancer spreads, it most commonly goes to the bones, liver and lungs. It may also spread to the brain or other organs.
Experts say that with advanced disease, the goal of treatment is to keep you as stable as possible, slow the tumor growth and improve your quality of life.
Shannen has been living each and every day and is a role model to many thrivers, survivors, and non-survivors alike.
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