What if cancer returns




















There are three main types of cancer recurrence:. Healthcare providers and researchers have determined that certain cancers are more likely to recur in specific sites of the body.

For instance, a distant recurrence of breast cancer is most likely to be found in the bones, brain, liver, or lungs, whereas a distant recurrence of colon cancer is more likely to be found in the liver, lung, or peritoneum. Some cancers are more likely to recur than others. Certain types of lymphomas also recur at higher rates.

Cancers that are diagnosed at more advanced stages are more likely to recur after treatment than those that are diagnosed at the earliest stages of development.

Some cancers can be more difficult to treat when they recur. This is because, for most tumors, the first line of treatment used is often considered to be the most effective. But that does not mean your cancer cannot be treated a second time. Treatment for recurrent cancer depends on the type of recurrence, how much time has passed since your original treatment, the location of the new growth, and your general health.

A local recurrence of prostate cancer, for instance, may be treatable with radiation therapy. Likewise, breast cancer that has metastasized to the liver a distant recurrence may still be treatable with surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy. Some forms of cancer, such as testicular cancer , may still be curable even after they recur. Receiving news from your healthcare provider that your cancer has returned can be devastating. Some people may question whether they could have prevented the recurrence, but often that is not the case.

If you are coping with a cancer recurrence, it is important to talk with your healthcare provider about your concerns and to ask questions about what treatments may be available to you.

Coping with recurrent cancer isn't just about the medical aspects. There are a number of things to consider as you navigate your recurrence:. Cancers that have relatively low recurrence rates include estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer, kidney cancer, and Hodgkin lymphoma.

Being diagnosed with a second cancer is different from a recurrence because the second cancer begins in a different set of cells in your body and is not a metastasis of the original cancer. This would mean you have or had two separate cancers rather than one type that metastasized to another area of the body. A cancer diagnosis can be frightening and confusing, and this is even more so when cancer comes back after successful treatment. As healthcare providers and researchers continue to make progress in understanding how recurrent cancers can be actively treated or managed, a growing number of options are available to treat advanced disease.

If you have been diagnosed with a cancer recurrence, it's important to talk with your healthcare provider about your specific cancer, the location of the recurrence, and what treatments are available to you. Limiting processed foods and red meats can help ward off cancer risk. These recipes focus on antioxidant-rich foods to better protect you and your loved ones. Sign up and get your guide! American Cancer Society.

Treating prostate cancer that doesn't go away or comes back after treatment. Updated June 11, With a few exceptions, we call it stage 4. Advances in treatment allow us to manage cancer symptoms and shrink cancerous tumors, but metastatic cancer is rarely curable. The goal for treating a spread cancer is to reduce tumor size and relieve some of the symptoms that patients experience.

This allows us to prolong an individual's life and, in many cases, allows a person to live a high-quality life. Cancer, by its very nature, is designed to spread. Cancer develops when your body's cells go awry and begin reproducing and invading surrounding tissue in a way that nature did not intend.

The cancer cells travel to different parts of the body and begin forming new tumors. How cancer spreads varies depending on the type of cancer you have, but generally it spreads through the bloodstream or the lymph system. A point of confusion for patients is that cancer only spreads if it has already gotten to the lymph nodes. An example is breast cancer that has spread to the brain. The only way this can occur is through the bloodstream. Why cancer spreads to specific areas of the body is being researched.

We believe there are signals that make certain cancers go to certain areas of the body. Perhaps we can disrupt those homing signals with future treatment to prevent metastasis.

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A single copy of these materials may be reprinted for noncommercial personal use only. This content does not have an English version. This content does not have an Arabic version. See more conditions. When cancer returns: How to cope with cancer recurrence. Products and services. When cancer returns: How to cope with cancer recurrence Use lessons from your initial treatment to give you confidence and strength as you face the anger and fear that come with a cancer recurrence.

By Mayo Clinic Staff. Thank you for Subscribing Our Housecall e-newsletter will keep you up-to-date on the latest health information. Please try again. Something went wrong on our side, please try again. Show references When cancer returns. National Cancer Institute. Accessed Sept. Dealing with cancer recurrence. Moynihan TJ expert opinion. Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. See also Adjuvant therapy for cancer After a flood, are food and medicines safe to use?

Alternative cancer treatments: 10 options to consider Atypical cells: Are they cancer? Coronavirus Information for Patients. Clinical Trials during Coronavirus.

Adolescents and Young Adults with Cancer. Emotional Support for Young People with Cancer. Cancers by Body Location. Late Effects of Childhood Cancer Treatment. Pediatric Supportive Care. Rare Cancers of Childhood Treatment.

Childhood Cancer Genomics. Study Findings. Metastatic Cancer Research. Intramural Research. Extramural Research. Cancer Research Workforce. Partners in Cancer Research. What Are Cancer Research Studies. Research Studies. Get Involved. Cancer Biology Research. Cancer Genomics Research. Research on Causes of Cancer.

Cancer Prevention Research. Cancer Treatment Research. Cancer Health Disparities. Childhood Cancers Research. Global Cancer Research. Cancer Research Infrastructure. Clinical Trials. Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research. Bioinformatics, Big Data, and Cancer.

Annual Report to the Nation. Research Advances by Cancer Type.



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