Remission

I saw my oncologist today for a three month follow up. He said I'm doing great! He also said technically I'm in remission because it's been over one year since my last surgery. At the time of the last surgery all remaining signs of the cancer were gone. I thought it was one year from my last chemo, but I was wrong. So, that's good news. There is currently "no evidence of disease". I'm in remission! There is still a 25% chance the cancer could come back. My type, triple negative, is the most aggressive, but also responds best to treatment. Overall, this is very good news. If I make it five years without a recurrence I'm considered cured. I also had a blood draw today for the tumor marker test. My last tumor marker was extremely low, which is wonderful news.

[Remission -- This term is heard very frequently. It refers to the response of a cancer to the treatment. It dose not mean that a cancer is cured. Complete remission refers to the situation where the disease disappears completely with the treatment. Partial remission refers to the situation where the disease shrinks but does not disappear completely with the treatment. Cure means complete freedom from the cancer. To render someone cured of cancer, one has to wait and see if the cancer will ever come back. So, time is the crucial factor. If a patient remains in remission for a few years, the cancer might be cured. Certain cancers can reoccur after many years of remission. The status of remission is determined by a series of tests and examinations to determine whether a cancer has responded to treatment or not. Patients are examined by the medical oncologist as often as needed. The type of tests performed depend on the kind and extent of cancer. If a cancer that is seen on regular X-rays, or CT Scans, etc., they should be repeated after a while. Tumor markers are also used to determine the response to therapy and for early detection of a recurrence.]