Shannen Doherty, star of the original 90210, talked with Dr. Mehmet Oz earlier this week about what she has endured since she was diagnosed with breast cancer in March of 2015. Dr. Oz reiterated her struggles during an interview with Entertainment Tonight, adding that Shannen Doherty is now trying to decide whether she should undergo a lumpectomy or a mastectomy.
EXCLUSIVE: @DrOz reflects on the "most stunning" aspect of @DohertyShannen's cancer battle. https://t.co/fm3HwW905d pic.twitter.com/rQZFEOHLJU
— EntertainmentTonight (@etnow) February 20, 2016
“Shannen is juggling those two decisions–neither one is perfect but both are acceptable, as long as the cancer comes out,” Dr. Oz said. “The part of Shannen’s story that’s most stunning to me is that she’s had that cancer in her breast for over a year and hasn’t had it taken out yet – [the] cancer’s still in there.”
“She has decided to have the breast cancer to removed surgically, and that is a big decision for a woman… It was really up to Shannen to decide she was ready to go through an operation she feared would be disfiguring,” he added. “Shannen was very transparent about what’s going on in her breast–she has cancer on one side, it’s a big tumor–it has spread to the lymph nodes on that side, but we don’t have any evidence that it’s gone any further than that.”
Dr. Oz expects Shannen Doherty will make a full recovery.
“Thankfully, if we aggressively can treat it, we can save Shannen’s life, and her doctors are superb and they’re all over that decision,” he said.
Shannen Doherty talks to Dr. Oz about her battle with breast cancer and why she waited to have surgery, today at 3: pic.twitter.com/nLanc2EfaH
— WSB-TV (@wsbtv) February 18, 2016
On The Dr. Oz Show Thursday, Shannen Doherty said of her difficult decision, “Ultimately, they’re just breasts, right? I mean, I love them, they’re mine, they’re beautiful, but in the grand scheme of things, I would rather be alive, and I would rather grow old with my husband.”
Dr. Oz has fears that Doherty waited too long after discovering the lump before seeking medical treatment. He understands why she did, however.
“She had to come to grips with the fear–sometimes that fear has paralyzed her over the past year,” he said. “That’s why a bright woman has sat with a cancer in her breast for that long. We run from the things we fear–I think she’s embracing it now.”
Shannen Doherty and husband open up about breast cancer battle https://t.co/033hcyyD5q pic.twitter.com/IJqPzdfEQ7
— People Magazine (@people) February 18, 2016
It will be interesting to learn whether Shannen Doherty opts to have a mastectomy or a lumpectomy. Hopefully the 90210 alum makes a full and speedy recovery regardless of her choice,