Although she’s continuing her battle with cancer, 90210 star Shannen Doherty is being upfront with her life expectancy.
During the latest episode of her Let’s Be Clear podcast, Doherty spoke to oncologist Dr. Larence Piro about cancer treatments. She then said that future enhancements of the treatments will hopefully help her live a full life.
“I always talk about the fact that we just need to squeeze out another three to five years,” Shannen Doherty explained. “And then there’s going to be T-cell therapy or there’s going to be this. There’s going to be a lot more options that will give another five years. Then in those five years, there’s a whole other group of options, and eventually, there’s going to be a cure.”
Dr. Piro then suggested that waiting for new treatments is like a horse race. “I always say that it’s important to think of each therapy as a horse,” he said. “And in a horse race, you want to ride every horse as long as it rides. And then you ride the next horse as much as possible… You hope you make it a few laps then there’s altogether another new set of horses to ride, to make the race that much longer
Shannen Doherty noted that the horse analogy is really good. “I’m riding those horses so I get to the fresh set of horses, and I’m trying to get the one I’m on right now to last for as long as humanly possible.”
Doherty was initially diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015. However, the cancer has since spread to her bones. In early 2023, the actress underwent brain surgery to remove a tumor.
Shannen Doherty Hopes to Get Into New Breast Cancer Treatment Trial
In Nov. 2023, Shannen Doherty told PEOPLE she hoped to get into a new metastatic breast cancer treatment trial.
“I don’t want to die,” Doherty declared, pointing out she’s not done living. “I’m not done with loving. And I’m not done with creating. I’m not done with hopefully changing things for the better. I’m just not — I’m not done.”
With the trial treatments, Shannen Doherty hopes there will be more time for her. “People just assume that it means you can’t walk, you can’t eat, you can’t work. They put you out to pasture at a very early age —‘You’re done, you’re retired,’ and we’re not,” she said. “We’re vibrant, and we have such a different outlook on life. We are people who want to work and embrace life and keep moving forward.”