Shannen Doherty Posts Video Before Having a Brain Tumor Removed: ‘This Is What Cancer Can Look Like’

“I am clearly trying to be brave, but I am petrified,” the ‘Charmed’ alum, diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer in February 2020, stated.

Shannen Doherty has remained open with her fans about her current health struggles.

The actress, who was given the news that she had stage 4 breast cancer in February 2020, uploaded a behind-the-scenes video on Instagram on Wednesday before undergoing surgery to remove a brain tumor.

“16 January 2023. Surgery. They wanted to biopsy and remove a tumor from my head. I’m trying to be courageous, but I’m scared to death,” the 52-year-old captioned the photo. “To me, the fear was overwhelming.”

“Afraid of all potential negative consequences; concerned about abandoning my mother and the impact that would have on her. Worried that I wouldn’t look like myself after surgery,” she added. “This is what cancer may look like.”

The Hot Seat actress revealed last week on Instagram that a CT scan done on January 5 revealed she had brain metastases. According to the Mayo Clinic, the illness develops when cancer cells migrate from their initial place to the brain.

Doherty captioned an Instagram video of her undergoing radiation therapy, “January 12, the first round of radiation. It’s clear, I’m afraid. There was a lot going on in my life, and I suffer from severe claustrophobia.”

She stated, “I am blessed to have fantastic doctors like Dr. Amin Mirahdi and the incredible technologists at Cedar Sinai. But this is what cancer can look like. The anxiety, the confusion, the timing of it all.”

Doherty previously provided an update on her health at a Charmed panel at 90s Con in March, led by Breanne L. Heldman and featuring Rose McGowan, Holly Marie Combs, Brian Krause, Dorian Gregory, and Drew Fuller.

Doherty responded, “I’m feeling great, thank you! ” when asked how she was feeling. … “This audience is incredible.”

Since being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015 and announcing that the disease had returned after remission in 2017, Doherty has often provided updates about her treatment.

“Is it all pretty? NO, but it’s truthful, and my hope in sharing is that we all become more educated, more familiar with what cancer looks like,” she wrote on Instagram in October 2021. “I hope I encourage people to get mammograms, to get regular checkups, to cut thru the fear and face whatever might be in front of you.”