Shannen Doherty shared a new development in her ongoing battle with stage IV breast cancer on Instagram on Tuesday.
The actress, 52, had a CT scan on Jan. 5 that showed cancer cells had spread from their original site to her brain – known as “brain metastases.”
Breast cancer is one of the cancers most likely to lead to brain metastases that can cause a tumor or tumors in the brain, according to the Mayo clinic.
Shannen explained that she underwent her first round of radiation therapy on Jan. 12 and is scared despite having a “great” medical team.
Accompanying her post was a heartbreaking clip of her crying as she underwent cancer treatment at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
Shannen Doherty shared a new development in her ongoing battle with stage IV breast cancer on Instagram on Tuesday; seen in 2019
“January 12, 2023,” Shannen began. “On January 5, my CT scan showed Mets in my brain.”
She then referenced a video clip shared Monday showing her getting an MRI of some kind.
The star explained it’s part of the “process of adjusting the mask you wear during your brain irradiation.”
In the clip, she is seen lying down as doctors placed a blue mold over her face. They made her bite to make sure it adhered to her mouth and chin.
Shannen began to cry as they held down the edges of the mask and pinned them to a board behind her head before placing her in the machine.
The actress continued on Tuesday: ‘January 12, the first round of radiation took place. My fear is clear.’
Radiation treatment uses “energy beams to destroy cancer cells” and can “target all or part of the brain, depending on a person’s diagnosis,” according to NYU Langone Health.
“I am extremely claustrophobic and a lot has happened in my life,” Shannen wrote. “I’m lucky to have great doctors like Dr. Amin Mirahdi and the great technicians at Cedar Sinai.
The actress, 52, had a CT scan on January 5 that showed cancer cells had spread from their original site to her brain – what are known as ‘brain metastases’
Radiation: Shannen explained that she underwent her first radiation therapy on Jan. 12 and is still scared despite having a “great” medical team
Breast cancer is one of the cancers most likely to lead to brain metastases that can cause a tumor or tumors in the brain, according to the Mayo Clinic
Emotional: Accompanying her message was a heartbreaking clip of her crying as she underwent cancer treatment at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles
But that fear…. The turmoil….. the timing of it all…. This is what cancer can look like,” concluded the Beverly Hills, 90210 alum.
Her latest health update comes after she accused SAG-AFTRA of canceling her health insurance in March because of her income level.
The agency’s website reveals, “You must earn $26,470 in your basic income period to receive Earned Eligibility for Active Plan health coverage.”
And in an Instagram post shared on March 9, Shannen took aim at both SAG-AFTRA in general and its president Fran Drescher, who is a cancer patient herself and describes herself as an “anti-capitalist.”
Shannen tagged Fran and wrote, “I’m curious about people like me who have worked since they were 10 and paid dues to @sagaftra, how our union lets us down when we can’t work for health reasons.”
Shannen, who rose to international fame at 90210 Beverly Hills, added, “I think we can do better for all of our members and I think you’re the person to do it.”
DailyMail.com has contacted SAG-AFTRA and Fran Drescher representatives for comment.
She argued: ‘Health insurance should not be based on annual income. It is a lifetime contribution. And for me and many others, we paid a lifetime membership fee only to be canceled because we don’t meet your current criteria. Not OK.’
The post was accompanied by a selfie of Shannen with a stern face as she was hooked up to an IV.
Shannen learned she had stage IV breast cancer in 2019 – two years after going into remission after first developing breast cancer in 2015.
She shared with GMA at the time that the cancer had come back aggressively.
On Monday, the star shared a clip showing the “process of adjusting the mask you wear during brain radiation”
In the clip, she is seen lying down as her doctor talks to her
He then shows her the mold they use to make the custom mask
They then placed a blue mold over her face
They made her bite to make sure it adhered to her mouth and chin
Shannen began to cry as they held down the edges of the mask and pinned them to a board behind her head before placing her in the machine.
Speaking out: Her latest health update comes after she accused SAG-AFTRA of canceling her medical insurance due to her income level in March
Shannen quietly divorced her husband Kurt Iswarienko, 48, before filing for divorce in April.
In a statement to TMZ, Shannen’s publicist Leslie Sloane claimed Kurt’s agent was “deeply involved” in their divorce.
“Divorce is the last thing Shannen wants,” her rep told the publication at the time. “Unfortunately, she felt she had no choice.”
Shannen and Kurt exchanged vows and were married in October 2011 in Malibu.
Previously, she was married to actor Ashley Hamilton from 1993 to 1994, and her second marriage was to poker player Rick Salomon from 2002 to 2003.
