Veteran TV star Anne Francis has spoken out about her bid to beat cancer after having part of a lung cut out. The 77-year-old actress, who starred opposite Leslie Nielsen in the 1956 Sci-Fi classic Forbidden Planet, is recovering after doctors operated on her to remove part of her diseased lung - and now she faces a battle to regain her health.

Francis tells Globe, "I am scared. I am not out of the woods yet... (but) I'm doing all I can to make this year the year for full healing."

The publication reports the forgotten actress knew something was wrong when she started losing weight last summer and friends urged her to seek medical attention.

She was diagnosed with non-small cell cancer and underwent chemotherapy to shrink her tumour sufficiently so doctors could operate and remove the upper lobe of her right lung.

Francis' currently undergoing further chemotherapy as "insurance."

She adds, "I won't know until the end of May whether my treatment is working. I'm still weak from the lung surgery and the chemo takes a lot out of you, but I'm optimistic."

(This news article provided by World Entertainment News Network)