Docs Sound The Alarm After Ex-MTV VJ Defends Decision To 'Keep' Breast Cancer Tumor

ananda lewis visits hallmark's home and family at universal studios hollywood on march 21 2019
Ex-MTV VJ Ananda Lewis Has Stage IV Breast CancerPaul Archuleta - Getty Images

Former MTV VJ Ananda Lewis is defending her decision to forego a preventative double mastectomy.

Earlier this week, Ananda came under fire when she revealed that she went against her doctor's recommendations for surgery, instead deciding to heal her stage III breast cancer with homeopathic remedies, in addition to medication and radiation. It has since progressed to stage IV.

But in an October 16 episode of the radio show Soulibration, Ananda fired back, saying, “You can't spend your time wishing you did things differently. You will never live. I'm not going to spend time regretting.”

“I understand that people don't get it,” she added. “They're entitled to their opinion.”

Here’s what Ananda has said about her cancer, plus what doctors recommend.

Meet the expert: Amy Bremner, MD, breast surgical oncologist and medical director of breast surgical oncology at MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center in Laguna Hills, California.

What cancer does Ananda Lewis have?

Ananda has stage IV breast cancer. She revealed in a 2020 Instagram post that she had been diagnosed with stage III breast cancer, adding that she’d refused mammograms for years for fear of radiation exposure.

"This is tough for me, but if just ONE woman decides to get her mammogram after watching this, what I’m going through will be worth it," she wrote at the time.

But during a recent CNN roundtable discussion, Ananda said that she went against her doctor’s recommendation to have a double mastectomy after she was diagnosed.

“My plan at first was to get out excessive toxins in my body. I felt like my body is intelligent, I know that to be true. Our bodies are brilliantly made,” she said. “I decided to keep my tumor and try to work it out of my body a different way.”

So, Ananda decided to use homeopathic remedies in addition to medication and radiation. She also focused on her sleep and diet. But last year, she learned that her cancer had spread.

Now, Ananda regrets her treatment decision. “Looking back on that, I go, ‘You know what? Maybe I should have [gotten a double mastectomy],’” she said.

“My lymph system really flared up,” Ananda said. “It was the first time I ever had a conversation with death because I felt like: This is how it is.”

What is stage IV breast cancer?

Stage IV breast cancer is another word for metastatic breast cancer. It’s a late-stage disease where the cancer has spread beyond the breast to other areas of the body, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS).

ananda lewis smiles on the red carpet at the 2005 mtv movie awards
Ananda Lewis in 2005 at the MTV Movie Awards.Jon Kopaloff - Getty Images

What is Ananda Lewis’ prognosis?

Ananda didn’t share details of her prognosis. However, the five-year survival rate for someone with stage IV breast cancer is typically 31 percent, according to the ACS.

“I was just like, ‘Fudge man, I really thought I had this.’ I was frustrated, I was a little angry at myself, and I said, ‘Man, listen. I know you’re coming for me at some point. But I don’t want it to be now. And if you could just wait, I promise when you do come, I’m gonna make it fun for you,’” Ananda said. “I literally had that conversation laying in my bed. I couldn’t get out of bed for, like, eight weeks.”

Amy Bremner, MD, breast surgical oncologist and medical director of breast surgical oncology at MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center in Laguna Hills, California, says she sees this on occasion.

"I see patients—not very often, thankfully—that we meet in consultation and they decide they don't want to take those recommendations," she says. "It's very disappointing. I later learn that they passed away or they come back and the cancer is advanced."

Bremner wants patients to know that doctors have their best interests at heart. "When we're making these treatment recommendations, our primary goal is improving the patients' outcome and their overall survival," she says. "The recommendations we make are based on years of training, and are based on evidence-based data."

Bremner says "there's a place" for holistic medicine, but it shouldn't replace scientifically-proven treatments. "Let's do what's proven and, if there are other complementary treatments, let's discuss those as well," she says.

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