(NEXSTAR) – Ananda Lewis, a former BET personality and MTV VJ, revealed this week that she had been diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer in October 2023. Lewis, 51, was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2019, she told her Instagram followers in an October 2020 video. At the time, she explained that she had regretted not getting regular mammograms over concerns that the radiation might make her sick. “I wish I could go back,” she said in the video, urging viewers to get themselves checked. One Direction breaks silence on Liam Payne’s death: ‘We’re completely devastated’ This week during a roundtable discussion with CNN’s Stephanie Elam and Sara Sidner, Lewis revealed that the cancer had progressed and metastasized during the COVID pandemic, spreading “up my spine, through my hips, everywhere except my brain.” Speaking with Sidner and Elam, her best friend since their freshman year at Howard University, Lewis also admitted that she opted not to get a mastectomy when she was initially diagnosed. “I decided to keep my tumor and try to work it out of my body a different way,” Lewis said. “Looking back on that, I go, you know what? Maybe I should’ve [gotten the mastectomy].” TV Personality Ananda Lewis visits Hallmark's "Home & Family" at Universal Studios Hollywood on March 21, 2019, in Universal City, California. (Paul Archuleta/Getty Images) Sidner, who began her own battle with breast cancer last year, took a different approach upon her diagnosis, explaining that she wanted her doctors to “get this out of me … whatever you have to do.” Sidner’s treatment included a double-mastectomy, chemotherapy and radiation. But Lewis opted for alternative medicine as well as a better diet and sleep schedule to rid herself of “excess toxins,” she said. (Lewis told The New York Times this week that she had also undergone chemotherapy.) Lewis monitored her cancer’s progress with monthly ultrasounds until the COVID pandemic hit, at which point she admitted she wasn’t keeping up with her regimens, she told Elam.   “I took my foot off the brake,” Lewis admitted. When she learned her cancer had progressed and metastasized, Lewis said she didn’t get scared, but was instead “angry” and “frustrated” with herself. “I was like, ‘Fudge, man. I really thought I had this.’” Study reveals rise in breast cancer among young women Stage 4 breast cancer is not curable, but treatment can slow its growth and prolong the patient’s life, according to the American Cancer Society. The five-year survival rate is around 31%, though some patients can live much longer. Ananda Lewis is photographed with Justin Timberlake, Chris Kirkpatrick and JC Chasez of NSYNC at the Second Annual Teen Choice Awards on August 6, 2000, in Santa Monica, California. (Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images) Lewis mentioned that there were current treatments she no longer qualifies for, but she said she’s currently on medication. She’s also seeking holistic treatment, which she believes mitigates some of the side effects of the meds. “I keep up the integrative side because it’s important for my body to feel good going through the other stuff,” she said. She’s seen improvement overall, she told the Times, saying she has “turned it around really beautifully.” Lewis began her television career in the ‘90s hosting BET’s “Teen Summit” before becoming a VJ at MTV, where, among other duties, she conducted interviews, helmed special presentations and hosted “MTV Live.”