Hi Aimee,
I have been in remission for almost 5 years and if you ask me if I still think of cancer, to be honest, I do but if I am worried about its coming back, I would say 'not quite'. The mouth dryness, a frustrating side effect of radiation, reminds me constantly that I am a cancer survivor.I am sure the word 'cancer' will stay with me for the rest of my life. I met my oncologist last month and he told me that my chance of recurrence is comparatively low now but I still need to wait for 2 more years before I can really be relaxed. What I can do now is to do my best not to let cancer have a second chance but if it returns, I am prepared to fight another battle.
Staging of the cancer and statistics provide a general reference to patients and doctors about the prognosis and how accurately does it apply to a particular patient depends on many variables. But so far, I still believe that the earlier the staging, the better the prognosis if the best available treatment is given. I never smoked or drank in my entire life and I learnt not to dwell on the 'why me' question because it could only create more mental suffering.

Karen