Cancer Remission Definition
Remission: A decrease in or disappearance of signs and symptoms of cancer. In partial remission, some, but not all, signs and symptoms of cancer have disappeared. In complete remission, all signs and symptoms of cancer have disappeared, although cancer still may be in the body.
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
So is cancer remission an exciting term to hear and be celebrated? What is cancer remission exactly? Well if you hear NED- For sure!!! He’s not just the nurse’s aide in the corner, the term means No Evidence of Disease!! Let me repeat that- NO Evidence of Disease!
So I can’t help but love the irony that in 2019 Dr. Ned Sharpless was announced as the NCI Director once again. You can’t make this stuff up! Actually, I think it’s amazing to the cancer research world. Now let’s talk about partial remission. Should we still be excited?
Yes! Does it mean your cancer is gone forever, back to the depths of the underworld where it belongs? No, but progress is progress and this is a very worthy moment to celebrate. Pause and breathe deep- this is great news!
Just remember, I’m not your doctor. Speak with your own doctor with specific questions about your own remission, or cancer diagnosis. See my full disclaimer for more.
There are different types of cancer remission what does it mean for you?
Cancer Remission What Does It Mean When It’s Partial– exactly?
A Partial Cancer Remission Definition:
Partial Remission:
A decrease in the size of a tumor, or in the extent of cancer in the body, in response to treatment. Also called partial response.
National Cancer Institute
The way I see it, this is a trajectory I can get behind! I will say, because I’m not in the business of blowing smoke up your back side and I tell it like it is, proceed with caution.
When I finish building out my course you’ll know exactly what I mean for action steps to take in this scenario. For now, this article touches on some points. Basically, DO NOT stop making changes! Continue to work your way through making positive changes to diet, environment, supplements, etc., etc. You’ve been given a gift of an amazing opportunity to tip the scale.
Cancer loves an unhealthy, acidic, toxin filled environment. Don’t give it what it wants! Sadly I believe we lost my husband to cancer, because we discovered it far too late. By the time we were aware of what was going on, cancer was already winning the race. His spine looked like it was splatter painted with cancer.
If you are lucky enough to be in a partial remission, it’s a gift of time. Time to get your butt in gear and make more positive changes to force the cancer to continue to retreat. Don’t squander this opportunity and return to old habits, or guess what? Cancer won’t miss what you’re offering.
Stay joyful, don’t stress out over this. I know it can be stressful, which is why my second course will address what to add into your world that can replace all the junk you’ve removed.
Cancer Journey
No two people share a journey in life, not 100% Why then do we, as a society, always compare ourselves to others?
I was originally going to title this article: The Danger In Comparing Your Cancer Journey To Others & How To Stay Proud Of Your Own Success. Remission brings this full circle, so I decided to start by defining what it even means. Now let’s get to what I believe you’ve probably fallen victim to, if you’re hoping for, or experiencing a remission.
The risk of comparing your cancer journey to that of someone else is far worse than comparing how you look in your jeans. Cancer demands a hopeful attitude and perseverance to be beat. Even two individuals with the same diagnosis, same age, same lifestyle choices will not have an exact match in the outcome of cancer treatments.
Genetics certainly plays a role in this. Our oncologist once said to us that Genetics was going to replace Pathology all together. So if we’re not comparing apples to apples, is it even worth trying to draw a connection at all?
It’s difficult, don’t get me wrong, but do yourself the favor of not looking at the treatment chair next to you and comparing.
Our First Offense
The first time we did this, we were walking into a hospital waiting area, probably 30 years younger than everyone in the room. We didn’t smell of cigarettes, or carry a soft drink in our back pocket. We didn’t fit in. It was very easy to start wondering how we ended up in that waiting room with all of these others who appeared to be taking life for granted.
Don’t judge. Excuse my language, but you don’t know the hell someone else may have gone through, or be going through at any given moment. Actually one man told us he took up smoking after his cancer diagnosis, thinking if doing the right thing didn’t work then maybe a good dose of reckless behavior may not hurt.
1) If You’re Alive, You May Have Already Beat The Odds
Have you ever considered that maybe your expiration date was last year? Easy to feel robbed if you feel like the victim, but if you consider that maybe you’re already beating the odds, then you can start to feel like a winner!
If you always feel like Susie next door has the world at her fingers, have you ever stopped to think that her future may hold a fatal car accident in a week! Stop Comparing! So what if Susie, or Jack, got his remission and you’re still praying for yours.
2) Answered Prayers
Prayers are a funny thing sometimes. Often we believe if we’ve asked God for some divine help, that our prayers aren’t being answered if we don’t get the answer we were hoping for.
What if the very lack of outcome was the answered prayer? In other words, what if you prayed for time with family and then you got cancer? Most people would think their prayers were unanswered and they received the exact opposite of what they had hoped for.
Perhaps, for the sake of argument, not only would the cancer give you the opportunity to start telling people the important things you’ve been holding back sharing, but actual time together! Maybe you start going to appointments together and love a little harder. Maybe you end up quitting a job you hate, that sucks all of your time, to have weekends together once again.
Whether you choose to believe it or not, I think it’s undeniable that prayers offer hope. Hope is a necessary state of mind to kick cancer to the gutter. Start trusting (that’s called faith folks) in who you’re praying to, that He hears you, knows your journey and IS acting in your best interest- and this is coming from someone who’s journey ended in loss.
3) Positive Yields Positive- Law of Attraction
For all the non-believers out there, I hope I haven’t lost you by now. I also believe in the law of attraction. Check out the book, by Masaru Emoto, called The Hidden Messages in Water- a New York Times best seller, if you’re not sure about the law of attraction and I think you’ll be a forever converted believer, it worked for me!
If you want to bring in positive change into your life (ie: a continued state of remission and/or moving your partial remission towards a state of full remission and not tipping the scale back in cancer’s favor) you have to stay positive!
See the gift that lies in your current state. Even if you just found out that the cancer is continuing to grow, knowing this gives you the opportunity to try something new! There are many treatments available, so talk to your doctor about what’s next! Nothing? Well then get excited about the fact that you’re about to be in research articles for defeating a rare, aggressive cancer.
Am I saying lie to yourself? No, but what makes it a lie? Is it a lie because the doctors don’t predict it? I think we extended my husband’s time on this earth, by continually believing we’d be that ‘less than 5%‘. If anyone could, it would be him. Sinking into a depressive abyss was not going to offer any positive results, so why not attempt believing in a miracle!
4) Remission Comparison- Social Media
So you open up social media and are faced with a post by neighbor Susie. She raves and goes on about the positive bloodwork and labs she just got back, whereas you just got terrible bloodwork back. Don’t hide from it. Susie may be doing what I’m suggesting here and posting the positive to try to stay in a positive head space! You don’t know her struggle and it’s not a race, so just congratulate her and be motivated by it!
To go along with this, maybe it’s time to turn to your social media friends to get a little boost of positivity and encouragement. Share your success and failures. Find the silver lining. Maybe your blood work was bad, but the doctor is impressed with how your images looked. Maybe just something little like having a little more energy at the end of your day. Oh you’re wiped at the end of the day? Maybe view that as your body is exhausted because it’s tackling killing cancer! Seriously yes, I can put a positive spin on anything. So. can. you.
Cancer Remission Definition States Complete 🚫= Cancer-Free
Back to what is cancer remission and the cancer remission definition we started with. Complete remission means that all of those tests you’ve been having aren’t showing signs of cancer any longer. Did you notice the last little part of that cancer remission definition from the NCI? I know I did!
Complete cancer remission does not mean that your cancer is gone, it still may be in the body! Signs and symptoms and tests all looking good is a GREAT sign! Returning to your previous way of life may not be in your best interest. You can’t keep doing the same thing and expecting different results. Cancer can still recur.
Friend A could get a cancer remission and then still end up dying from cancer sooner than Friend B who had several misses with treatment, but stayed diligent with changing their lifestyle and having regular doctor check-ups. This is not meant to scare you, I’ve just seen it happen, so stay vigilant and don’t let down your guard because cancer won’t.
I hope if you’re at this point in your journey you’ve learned so much that you never have to see another cancer cell. Apply as many healthy changes as possible each day and keep remembering that every day is a gift.
What is cancer remission? It’s a gift! Choose to use it wisely.
It’s important to know the difference between a cure and remission and the NCI did a good job of explaining this clearly. To have a cure would mean that after treatment there are no traces your cancer and your cancer will never come back. Remember we defined complete remission above and it’s the absence of all signs and symptoms.
This may sound like a nitpicky detail to some, especially if you’re thrilled about getting the news of remission, but let’s get to why they tend not to say “cured” when talking about cancer. First off, the NCI states that if you stay in complete remission for five years, or longer, that some doctors may say that you are in fact cured.
Here’s where it gets frustrating…
Cancer cells (those nasty little life suckers), can remain in your body for many years after treatment. Unfortunately this means you may never hear the word “cured,” but after five years, which is the timeframe that most cancers will return within if it’s going to come back, you should be very pleased and celebrate that anniversary.
Since the cancer still has a possible chance of return, you will still have to be monitored going forward to keep an eye out for any concerns. Don’t let these visits throw you off, just get excited to get evidence that you’re still good to go. If you get bad news back, it just means that you’re going back into battle against an opponent you’ve already defeated once before- you’ve got this, so stay positive.
Remember I’m motivating you, not diagnosing, for medical advice speak to your Oncology team. See my full Disclaimer here.
I hope you’ve made it this far in my post, because this is an important thing I want you to hear. The National Cancer Institute also has some great information on prognosis, which I will link below. Keep in mind as you’re getting information at your Doctor’s visits, there are a lot of factors that influence your prognosis and whether your remission may persist.
You need to listen to your practitioners, because their experience and expertise gives them an advantage of knowing likelihoods. For instance:
- What type of cancer are you dealing with? Some are more aggressive than others.
- Where is the cancer? Which brings me to another point…
- What stage is your cancer? Knowing if it has spread to several other regions, as well as analyzing the size gives them knowledge as to prognosis.
- A point not often spoken to us about, but likely looked at often behind the scenes, is the grade of your cancer. Grade is what is determined by looking under a microscope and analyzing characteristics- how abnormal do the cells look and how likely then is the cancer to grow and spread.
- Traits of cancer cells.
- Your habits. Can’t just blame it on the cells, your lifestyle is a factor. How healthy you are going in, contributes to likelihoods of outcomes after treatment.
- How you respond to the treatments you’re receiving plays into prognosis.
The factors listed above will play into what your team considers, but you’re an individual and your case will be different. Let your Oncology team look at all of your unique factors and guide you.
So we got into what is cancer remission? Talked about not comparing your journey to Susie next door. Touched on prognosis. At the end of the day, this is your journey and it won’t match up exactly with what happened to Susie, or what the doctors believed would be the case. The best doctors still get it wrong from time to time and they are using statistics, experience and likely the bullet points above, to make the best plan for you.
You still have to do your part. You are a member of the team as well. In fact, the most valuable member of the team. No test results, no cancer remission definition- complete or partial, NED, or no NED, no practitioner can 100% fix this for you. You have to start anew and make meaningful changes every day.
References
National Cancer Institute Definition for Remission
National Cancer Institute Definition for Partial Remission
National Cancer Institute Understanding Cancer Prognosis
Further Reading
Another source I found that went into details on ‘what is cancer remission,’ written by and medically reviewed by an MD was:
Cancer Remission Types and Recurrence by Lynne Eldridge, MD
