"Beverly Hills, 90210," Star Shannen Doherty, Shares Heartfelt Goodbyes with Loved Ones as she battles a terminal illness

Shannen Doherty's eight-year fight against breast cancer has been a grueling one (grueling replaces "not easy"). In a recent Instagram post, she offered a health update, saying, "Early morning trip to the doctor for scans" (update replaces "provided," trip replaces "visit").

"With tired eyes. My hair was a disaster, but the bright new bandages cheered me up!" (disaster replaces "mess," cheered replaces "brightened"). She shared the photo with her pink bandages and the hashtag "#cancerslayer."

Doherty discovered a lump in her breast in 2015 and received the devastating news that she had breast cancer. After a period on hormone therapy, she underwent radiation, chemotherapy, and a single mastectomy.

In 2017, Doherty's cancer went into remission. However, the cancer returned in February 2020 at stage IV. Other parts of her body have also been impacted by her condition.

Breast cancer is diagnosed in stages from 0 to IV, with higher numbers indicating a more aggressive cancer or how far the malignant cells have spread beyond the initial tumor.

According to the Mayo Clinic, stage 0 refers to a non-invasive disease contained within the milk ducts, while stage IV (also known as metastatic breast cancer, which is Doherty's stage) indicates the cancer has spread to other parts of the body.

The American Cancer Society reports that over 150,000 breast cancer survivors in the US are living with metastatic disease.

While metastatic breast cancer is often incurable, advancements in medicine have significantly extended the lifespans of those diagnosed with the condition.

To cope with these challenging years of cancer treatment, Doherty filmed in two TV movies last year: List of a Lifetime and Dying to Belong.

Throughout the years, the actress has used social media to discuss various aspects of her cancer battle, including her experiences with chemotherapy.

She also revealed to her readers in a past October article about her battle with breast cancer: "I had several nosebleeds from the treatment."

"I don't know if any of you have been through this. I was also exhausted. I wore some funny pajamas a friend, Kristy, gave me to cheer me up."

"Did they truly make me feel better? Absolutely!! Lol. I looked ridiculous, and because of that, I could laugh at myself. Laughter helped me get through what seemed impossible. I think we can all find humor in the impossible."