Coronation Street actress Tracy Shaw has shared a tearful update on her breast cancer journey, revealing that her tumors have not yet shrunk enough for surgery. Shaw, 52, posted a video to Instagram on Thursday following an ultrasound appointment to assess her condition.
While the lesions on her left breast have changed shape from circular to oval, they have not decreased in size, she explained in the video. "I thought they'd shrunk but basically they've gone from being circular to oval but not really shrunk in size," Shaw said, expressing her disappointment.
Shaw also checked on a lump found in her right breast. She reported that this lump and others were cysts, which she described as good news. The actress began chemotherapy in May, having been diagnosed with breast cancer the month prior.
In earlier videos, Shaw had expressed the emotional toll of her diagnosis and treatment. "Each morning I wake up and know that I have to go into hospital and receive more news, which has been going on for a long time, that unknown… I just think, ‘I can’t go through with this anymore,’ but I’ve not even started my journey," she said in one post.
Shaw was diagnosed with HER2-positive breast cancer, a type that can be more aggressive. Doctors indicated that after chemotherapy, surgery would be necessary to remove lumps and lymph glands, potentially followed by further surgery and radiotherapy.
She has been open about her history of recovery from various addictions, including anorexia, bulimia, alcoholism, and drug addiction, drawing parallels to the long road ahead with her cancer treatment. Shaw also shared that she had her hair cut shorter in preparation for a common side effect of chemotherapy: hair loss.
Shaw played the character Maxine Peacock on 'Coronation Street' from 1995 to 2003. She has thanked fans for their support and messages during her health battle and expressed gratitude to NHS staff.
