Focusing on the Positive Amid Cancer
- Actress Shannen Doherty says she’s finally “happy” after surviving brain surgery, learning her cancer had spread to her bones and enduring a divorce. She now feels like the “clutter” in her life is behind her, allowing her to focus on what brings her joy – time spent with loved ones – despite her ongoing stage 4 cancer battle.
- Dr. Dana Chase, gynecologic oncologist at UCLA Health, says emotional health and good quality of life are associated with better patient survival and outcomes. She encourages cancer patients to continue prioritizing what brings them joy.
- Doherty has battled breast cancer for nearly a decade. She was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015. It went into remission in 2017 but returned as stage 4 cancer in 2019.
- Her breast cancer spread to her brain, causing her to undergo surgery to remove a tumor in her brain. She admitted she’s struggled with cancer treatment side effects such as hair loss and cancer’s impact on her desire to have children of her own.
Actress Shannen Doherty, 52, says she’s “happy” after persevering in a topsy-turvy 2023 that included cancer spreading to her brain and a divorce. While continuing to treat her stage 4 breast cancer, the “90210” actress says much of the “clutter” that filled her life is now gone, allowing her to appreciate all of her remaining blessings.
“I am happy because I’m still here, and I have people in my life now that truly love me and that will walk through hell with me and for me, and I was missing for a lot of years in my life,” Doherty said in a recent episode of her “Let’s Be Clear” podcast.
She added that she feels “blessed” and “lucky” to continue to give her supporters an idea of what living with cancer looks like.
Helping Patients With Positive Emotions
Focusing on the Positive on Your Journey
Dr. Dana Chase, a gynecologic oncologist at UCLA Health, says that maintaining good emotional health and quality of life is associated with better survival and patient outcomes. She encourages cancer patients to prioritize their emotional health for this reason.
WATCH: The benefits of finding time for joy amid health struggles.
“So definitely working on your emotional health, your physical well-being, your social environment, your emotional well-being, definitely working on those things and making them better are important and can impact your survival,” Dr. Chase told SurvivorNet.
Dr. Chase suggests tapping into your support network, including loved ones like friends and family. It can also be a patient advocate or a support group — in-person or virtual — that shares your cancer or disease.
Shannen’s Resilient Cancer Journey
Shannen Doherty’s initial breast cancer diagnosis arrived in 2015 after she discovered a lump in her breast. For treatment, she had hormone therapy, a single mastectomy (the removal of all breast tissue from one breast), chemotherapy, and radiation.
In 2017, she achieved remission status, but the disease returned two years later in 2019. This time around, her breast cancer was metastatic, or stage 4.
Having metastatic breast cancer means the cancer has spread, or metastasized, beyond the breasts to other parts of the body. It often spreads to the bones, liver, and lungs but can also spread to places like the brain.
While treating advanced breast cancer, the goal of treatment is to keep you as stable as possible, slow the tumor growth, and improve your quality of life.
WATCH: Aggressive breast cancer in younger women.
As cancer treatments improve year over year, so does the number of people battling this form of cancer that spreads to the brain, says Dr. Michael Lim, who is the Chair of the Department of Neurosurgery and a board-certified neurosurgeon specializing in brain tumors at Stanford Medicine.
According to Dr. Kimberly Hoang, a board-certified neurosurgeon at Emory University School of Medicine, a craniotomy procedure like Doherty underwent earlier this year is “a procedure to cut out a tumor” on the brain that may be particularly useful “if the tumor is causing symptoms or if it’s large.”
Since undergoing brain surgery, Doherty learned her cancer also spread to her bones last year. Despite her diagnosis, the resilient actress has chosen to focus on enjoying precious time with loved ones as she continues battling stage 4 cancer.
What To Ask Your Doctor
If you have been diagnosed with breast cancer, you may have questions about how to keep your strength through treatment. Here are a few questions to help you begin the conversation with your doctor:
- What treatment will I be receiving?
- What side effects are associated with this treatment?
- Can you recommend a dietician who can help me with healthy eating tips and weight maintenance?
- I’ve been having trouble sleeping. Do you have any treatment recommendations?
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