The cancer is cured when all malignant cells in the body are eliminated of the patient. That is, those that due to some mutation have begun to reproduce in an uncontrolled manner, giving rise to the disease.
as explained in Quora Gary Larson, medical director of Procure Proton Therapy Center OKC, when these cells are malignant they have acquired the ability to metastasize, being able to colonize other organs. The metastasis is responsible for about 90% of all cancer deaths. If they are benign, they will damage the surrounding tissue but will not spread throughout the body.
Through different therapies and treatments, we seek to eliminate cancer cells from the body. For example with a surgical removal or resorting to chemotherapy. Could it be said then that a cancer has been cured? The truth is that being able to affirm it is somewhat more complex.
When “the vast majority of cancer cells are killed, the immune system takes care of what’s left, but we don’t know for sure,” Larson said in his response.
To give you a better idea, a 1 cm wide lump detected in the breast has about 100 million cancer cells. A 1mm cancer, which would not show up on scans, has 100,000 cancer cells, allows to know an article in The Conversation.
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“Even when a cancer can no longer be seen and is causing no symptoms, there may still be millions of cells left behind. They can continue to grow and eventually become numerous enough to be detected again. That’s when it says the cancer is recurring“.
Why does a cancer come back?
The recurrence occurs when the cancer comes back after treatment. What can happen in weeks, months or even years, indicates the American Society of Clinical Oncology. It could appear in the same area or in another part of the body.
That is why patients continue to attend regular check-ups once the therapy is over. The The chance that a cancer will come back depends largely on the type of cancer.
What is the difference between cure and remission in cancer
Cure means that there are no traces of the tumor after treatment and that cancer will never come back. But as explained above it is difficult for a doctor to ensure this.
Therefore, it is usual to say that the patient is in remission. The remission refers to the period of time in which the disease is controlled. It can be partial, when the signs and symptoms of cancer have been reduced, or complete if they have disappeared.
The longer the remission time, the greater the chances that the tumor will not reappear. For many types of cancer in remission, having survived 5 years means they are probably cured. But once again you can’t always assume this.
5-year survival rate, the formula used to measure life expectancy and survival from cancer
When informed about the prognosis of cancer, it is normal to resort to 5-year survival rate. This is the percentage of patients who survive those years after diagnosis.
The risk of death is highest in the first years after diagnosis and it is decreasing progressively thereafter. As has already been said, presenting a complete remission for 5 years or more is a favorable sign to think that the cancer has been cured. However, it is not all types.
A person diagnosed with an aggressive lymphoma is more likely to have been cured if the cancer has not come back in 2 years. This is because it is to be expected that any residual lymphoma will grow back rapidly, nuances the article in The Conversation.
Contrast with the case of breast cancer. Although the 5-year survival rate is 90%, and recurrence is higher in the 2 years after They have registered relapses 15 and 20 years after diagnosis.
Fortunately, early diagnosis and advances in treatment have allowed for decades survival rates have been increasing. Globally, mortality rates show a 17% decrease between 1990 and 2016.
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