Cancer remission - What Does It Mean?

Remission is a condition in which a patient has experienced a significant reduction in cancer symptoms. It can be partial or complete. Partial remission means that most of the cancerous cells have been eliminated with treatment, but some of them are still in the body; the tumor has shrunk at least by half or has not increased in size. Complete remission occurs when all cancer symptoms have disappeared, as evidenced by positive test results.

How long does cancer remission take?

In most cases, if the patient remains in complete remission for 5 years, the doctor may decide that the patient has been cured. However, it should be borne in mind that some cancer cells may remain in the body for many years after ending the treatment. Therefore, it is possible that one day the cancer will start growing again. A large proportion of relapses occur within 5 years after the end of treatment, which does not mean that after that time the risk will no longer apply. Due to this risk, your doctor will continue to recommend health checks and tests for many next years. It will allow you to react quickly in the event of a relapse.

Is spontaneous remission of the tumor possible?

Spontaneous remission of a tumor in medical nomenclature is called spontaneous regression. It is an extremely rare phenomenon – in the entire history there have been slightly more than 1000 cases, of which only 130 of them have been recognized by the modern world of medicine as worthy of consideration due to complete documentation. What exactly does this term mean? By definition, it means the partial or complete disappearance of a malignant tumor without therapy and, if the therapy is incorrectly selected, a significant impact on the disease. Due to the lack of unambiguous data and research, it should be remembered that it is still a very rare phenomenon, and it cannot be assumed that it will also occur in our case. The only effective and proven method of bringing the body into remission is therapy carried out according to the doctor's recommendations and under his constant supervision.

How to stay in remission?

One way to stay in remission is through so-called Maintenance therapy. It involves taking reduced doses of drugs or hormones to prevent the disease from coming back. In addition, a very important role is played by the recommended follow-up visits – you should remember about them regardless of your well-being. Many people may think that after their symptoms have disappeared, they can resign from a medical visit. Nothing could be more wrong, because conservative medical care also includes various types of tests, such as blood tests and scans, but also physical examinations, during which any abnormalities can be detected at a very early stage. In addition, it is worth introducing a few changes to the current lifestyle. They include:

• a healthy diet that includes fruit and vegetables;
• not smoking or giving up smoking;
• avoiding alcohol or consuming it in small amounts;
• staying physically active;
• introduce methods of coping with stress.

Remission vs Cured Cancer

Many people are sure to ask themselves: Is remission the same as curing cancer completely? Complete recovery occurs when no traces of cancerous cells have been detected in the patient after the therapy. Remission, on the other hand, is one of the stages of treatment where the symptoms of cancer are significantly reduced. Many doctors, due to the still existing risk of disease recurrence, avoid making such an unambiguous diagnosis.