Top News

William Shatner , the ‘Star Trek’ icon, and his youngest daughter, Melanie Shatner, opened up about battling cancer together. After the 60-year-old was diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer, the 95-year-old actor battled Stage 4 malignant melanoma. His health scare started in 2023, when he noticed a lump form in his cheek; she noticed her lump in 2022. After undergoing treatments and examinations, the duo today stands disease-free and maintains different perspectives on life.


Here’s a closer look at William Shatner and his daughter Melanie Shatner’s Stage 4 cancer diagnosis.


William Shatner and Melanie Shatner recall their Stage 4 diagnosis
Melanie Shatner was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer after finding a lump in her breast in 2022, per PEOPLE. Opening up about his cancer journey, William stated, “I went to an oncologist ... and they operated almost immediately with Stage 4 melanoma,” during the joint interview.


Stage 4 melanoma is cancer that has spread from its original site to distant parts of the body, according to the National Cancer Institute. Previously, the aggressive diagnosis meant the median survival time would be less than a year. However, due to scientific improvements in treatments such as immunotherapies and other targeted therapies, outcomes have positively changed.


While Melanie broke down, thinking she was dying from the deadly disease, she revealed that the actor was strong as ever. “I called you, and I said, 'I think I'm dying,’” she recalled. Talking about the support in their family, he said, “We're in a very together family. We're bonded by all kinds of difficulties that we overcame. And who knows what else we're going to overcome.”

See More:

William Shatner and Melanie Shatner: Life after Stage 4 cancer
“It's these miracles of life. If you let them go by, you lose your joy of living,” the actor who famously played Captain Kirk in the science-fiction franchise said, to which Melanie added, “It changed my life, all for the better.”


The duo is set to launch their weekly podcast show ‘No Time But Now’ to converse with health experts and survivors.