“Beverly Hills 90210” actor Shannen Doherty, who went public with her stage 4 breast cancer diagnosis earlier in February, has discussed how difficult her journey has been. But throughout it she’s been finding inspiration from friends, supporters — and, now, a chef who focuses on healthy eating.
Shannen Doherty Sharing Ways She Stayed Motivated During Her Cancer Journey
Read MoreZroya also posted a video of them cooking, for those who might be interested in his healthy-eating recipes:
The class was the idea of Doherty’s good friend, Anne Marie Kortright, Dohherty says. “This one here has stood by my side since the day we met,” Doherty wrote on social media last Friday, on a photo of the two out to eat.
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“Friends like this are rare and precious,” she wrote.
Shannen Doherty’s Cancer Journey
In 2015, Doherty found a lump in her breast that a biopsy determined was cancerous. She initially tried to fight the disease through hormone therapy, but due to the cancer spreading to her lymph nodes, it was ineffective. A year after her diagnosis, she had a single mastectomy and underwent courses of chemotherapy and radiation followed by reconstructive surgery.
In 2017, the star said she was cancer-free.
It’s been a challenging time for Doherty, who kept her diagnosis under wraps for a year. Doherty’s health challenges have been making headlines for weeks, so her relaxed attitude in the kitchen seems like she’s finding her bearings again — with the help of caring friends.
Hormone Therapies for Breast Cancer: CDK 4/6 Inhibitors
While we don’t know the specifics of Doherty’s breast cancer, or her treatment plan, experts say a new class of targeted therapy drugs called kinase inhibitors can now help treat some metastatic breast cancers.
Dr. Erica Mayer of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, told SurvivorNet in a previous conversation that these drugs target two kinase proteins, called cyclin-dependent kinase 4 and 6, that normally regulate the cell cycle and division.
Dr. Erica Mayer explains hormone therapy options available for breast cancer patients
These drugs are primarily used in women with hormone receptor-positive and HER2-negative breast cancer. When they are combined with other hormone therapy, many women can have up to two years of their cancer not getting any worse. A common side effect was a decrease in white blood cells which can increase the risk of infection.
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