Thriving with Metastatic Cancer
- Actress Shannen Doherty, 51, is currently battling stage four breast cancer, but she is thriving. In a recent post to social media, she shared that she was having fun hanging out with Real Housewives star Sanela “Diana” Jenkins.
- Metastatic, or stage four, breast cancer is technically not curable, but with ongoing advancements in treatments and options to dramatically reduce symptoms, there are many reasons to be hopeful.
- Life doesn't slow down for a cancer diagnosis, but that doesn't have to be a bad thing. And living with stage four cancer doesn't mean you should stop prioritizing your overall wellbeing and continuing to do the things you love.
The 51-year-old actress, best known for her roles in Heathers, Charmed and Beverly Hills, 90210, was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015 after finding a lump in her breast. At first, she was treated with hormone therapy, but this effort turned out to be ineffective as the cancer had spread to her lymph nodes.
Read MoreIn a recent post to her Instagram, Doherty shared a video of her with Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Sanela “Diana” Jenkins, 49.
View this post on Instagram
“Glam squad needed,” doherty joked in her caption. “@sdjneuro only you could get me hooked on #rhobh. Btw, didn't use facetune. Sorry D”
In another recent post, Doherty shared a heartwarming photo of her eating dinner with her "best friend" Malibu powerhouse real estate agent Chris Cortazzo.
View this post on Instagram
So, amid working, advocating for animals and fighting metastatic breast cancer, it’s nice to see that Doherty always makes time for fun with friends.
Understanding Metastatic Breast Cancer
Shannen Doherty has proven that an advanced cancer diagnosis does not require that you stop living. Metastatic breast cancer also called "stage four" breast cancer means that the cancer has spread, or metastasized, beyond the breasts to other parts of the body. It most commonly spreads to the bones, liver and lungs, but it may also spread to the brain or other organs.
When Breast Cancer Spreads to the Bones
And while there is technically no cure for metastatic breast cancer, there is a wide variety of treatment options used to battle the disease including hormone therapy, chemotherapy, targeted drugs, immunotherapy and a combination of various treatments.
In a previous interview with SurvivorNet, Dr. Elizabeth Comen, an oncologist with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, explained how she tries to manage breast cancer when it has progressed to a later stage.
"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," she said.
The American Cancer Society reports that there were more than 3.8 million U.S. women with a history of breast cancer alive at the start of 2019. Some of the women were cancer-free, and others still had evidence of the disease, but they also reported that more than 150,000 breast cancer survivors were living with metastatic disease, three-fourths of whom were originally diagnosed with stage I-III. And with ongoing advancements in treatments and options out there today that can dramatically reduce symptoms, there are many reasons to be hopeful.
Living with Cancer
Life doesn't slow down for a cancer diagnosis, but that doesn't have to be a bad thing. In fact, our experts say that prioritizing your overall wellbeing and continuing to do the things you love can be very beneficial.
Dr. Geoffrey Oxnard, a thoracic oncologist, shared three things he tells his lung cancer patients about living with the disease:
- Don't act sick "You can't mope around," he said. "Do things, and in doing things, you will stay active."
- Don't lose weight "Eat what you need to do to not lose weight," he said. "I like my patients pleasantly plump."
- Don't be a tough guy "When you've got lung cancer, you need work with your doctor to keep your medical conditions under control."
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
