Updated April 12th, 2021

As Shannen Doherty, 49, Battles Advanced Breast Cancer, She Says Goodbye to 2020 and Looks to Brighter Days Ahead in 2021

Shannen Doherty, 49, is taking time for some seasonal sledding fun with her dog as she is undergoing treatment for advanced breast cancer.

Anne McCarthy

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Shannen's Snowy Adventure Amid Breast Cancer Battle

Actress Shannen Doherty, 49, is fighting advanced breast cancer, but she’s finding moments of fun during her cancer journey.
This is her second bout with the disease she was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015 and later went into remission following treatment.
Keeping a positive attitude through cancer has been shown to have benefits when it comes to prognosis.

Actress Shannen Doherty, 49, is fighting advanced breast cancer but that’s not stopping her from taking part in some fun, end-of-year winter activities, like sledding with her dog. Doherty has been vocal throughout her breast cancer fight, updating fans on her health, and creating more awareness around the disease. We’re happy to see her taking time to have fun and enjoy the wintery outdoors.

In a video posted to Instagram, Doherty zips down a hill in a sled with her dog running in front of her as the Run-DMC song “It’s Tricky” plays. The actress captioned the video, “Heading into 2021….”

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A post shared by ShannenDoherty (@theshando)

Shannen’s Breast Cancer Battle

Doherty was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015, after finding a lump on her breast. The actress underwent treatment for the disease and it went into remission. But in February of this year, Doherty shared that her breast cancer had returned, and this time it had spread.

Because Doherty’s cancer had spread beyond the breasts or metastasized to other parts of the body, it is classified as advanced stage breast cancer. Dr. Elizabeth Comen, a Medical Oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, said in a previous interview, “I treat women day in and day out who have metastatic breast cancer. And I see the fear in their eyes. And I also see the hope in their eyes.”

“And I share in that hope. Why do I share in that hope? Because I have so many patients who are living with their cancer. And they’re living with their cancer because they have, fortunately, in today’s medical technology, what’s available are so many different options, including standard therapies, whether it be chemotherapy or hormonal therapies, or a new targeted medicine based on genetic sequencing of your cancer that may have been performed– meaning, trying to understand the mutations that are found in your cancer and are there any specific drugs that could be targeted for that mutation.”

An Overview of Treatment Options for Advanced Breast Cancer

Keeping a Positive Attitude While Fighting Breast Cancer

For people like Doherty who are fighting breast cancer, keeping a positive attitude and finding moments of joy like sledding down a snowy hill with your dog nipping at your side can make a big difference while going through treatment. Breast cancer treatments, which may include chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or surgery, can be emotionally, mentally, and physically draining. So, it’s important to find moments of happiness and try to stay positive throughout the cancer journey.

Dr. Zuri Murrell, a Colorectal Surgeon at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, said in a previous interview, “My patients who thrive, even with stage 4 cancer, from the time that they, about a month after they’re diagnosed, I kind of am pretty good at seeing who is going to be OK. Now doesn’t that mean I’m good at saying that the cancer won’t grow. But I’m pretty good at telling what kind of patient are going to still have this attitude and probably going to live the longest, even with bad, bad disease. And those are patients who, they have gratitude in life.”

Stay Positive, It Matters

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