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You have finished your cancer treatments and your doctor can no longer find any cancer cells in your body. Your doctor tells you that your cancer is in remission, meaning your treatment was successful and the cancer is gone. You may feel great for having survived cancer or you may still be physically and emotionally exhausted from treatment. Either way, it is important that you attend all follow-up appointments and keep your doctor informed about any changes in your body. Even though your cancer may appear to be gone forever, there is always the chance it may come back. When a cancer in remission returns it is called a cancer recurrence.
Cancer recurs because some cells may remain in your body after treatment. These cancer cells are usually very tiny and are undetectable on diagnostic tests, such as lab tumor markers, CT scans, PET scans, MRIs or x-rays. Over time, these small cells may grow and once again become large enough to detect. Cancer can recur months or even years after your first treatment. If recurrence occurs shortly after remission, the tumor will be more aggressive and the condition more serious. Many doctors do not even consider cancer that reappears within three months of remission to be recurrent. Instead, physicians believe that the cancer never completely disappeared and say the cancer has progressed.
Your cancer can return in the same part of your body or elsewhere. It is still classified as the same cancer type even if it reappears in a different part of the body. For example, if breast cancer returns in the liver it is still called breast cancer, but is said to have metastasized (spread) to the liver. There are three classifications of recurrent cancer, depending on the location of the recurrence.
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The cancer returns in the same place as the first tumor.
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The cancer reappears in tissue or lymph nodes near the first tumor.
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The cancer has traveled (metastasized) through the lymphatic system or bloodstream to a distant part of the body.
A cancer recurrence can be overwhelming and can bring out a lot of difficult emotions. You may worry that your cancer will come back if it is in remission, or you may be angry, depressed, afraid, or shocked if it has already returned. These are all normal, but it is vital to maintain a positive outlook and keep on fighting. Remember that this isn't the first time you have battled cancer.
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