Shannen Doherty Shares Video Prior to Having Tumor Removed From Her Head: ‘I Am Petrified’

Shannen Doherty has been very open with her fans throughout her battle with cancer over the past several years. Recently, the actress revealed that cancer had spread to her brain, requiring additional treatment and surgery. On Wednesday, Doherty shared a video taken before her brain surgery, in which she expressed that she was feeling “petrified.”

In the post caption, Doherty revealed the procedure took place in January, writing, “I had a tumor in my head they wanted to remove and also biopsy. I am clearly trying to be brave but I am petrified. The fear was overwhelming to me. Scared of all possible bad outcomes, worried about leaving my mom and how that would impact her. Worried that I would come out of surgery not me anymore. This is what cancer can look like.”

Doherty was first diagnosed with breast cancer back in 2015, but after treatments and surgery, she announced in 2017 that her cancer was in remission. In February 2020 she revealed that her cancer had returned. Regarding how she’d been coping with the news that it returned, Doherty said at the time, “I definitely have days where I say ‘Why me.’ And then I go, ‘Well, why not me? Who else? Who else besides me deserves this?’ None of us do. But I would say that my first reaction is always concern about how — how am I going to tell my mom, my husband.”

After only telling just a small group of close family and friends, Doherty said that her 90210 co-star Brian Austin Green was one of the most supportive people in her corner. “I had moments of great anxiety where I thought, ‘I can’t really do this,’ and Brian was the one person who — of that group of people that knew — that I told, like, pretty quickly and said, ‘This is what I’m dealing with,’” she said. “So prior to shooting, he would always call me and say, ‘Listen, you know, whatever happens, I have your back.’ He would look at me and be like, ‘We got this, kiddo’… so Brian helped me through a lot.”

Earlier this month, Doherty revealed the tragic update that her cancer had spread. In an Instagram post, she shared a video of her treatment, which required that she wear a special medical mask. In the post caption, Doherty explained the process and clarified that it was necessary due to the cancer spreading. “Yesterdays video was showing the process of getting fitted for the mask which you wear during radiation to your brain. January 12, the first round of radiation took place.”

She went on to add, “My fear is obvious. I am extremely claustrophobic and there was a lot going on in my life. I am fortunate as I have great doctors like Dr Amin Mirahdi and the amazing techs at cedar sinai. But that fear…. The turmoil….. the timing of it all…. This is what cancer can look like.”