Helllo Everyone,

I was diagnosed on August 29th of 2007 with Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma of the Bartholin's Gland---Stage II. I was only 36 years old when I was diagnosed. I subsequently had 3 surgeries to remove Lymph nodes and tissue to obtain clear margins. I had an outpatient procedure done on March 7th of this year to perform several biopsies. My surgeon took 9(3mm) biopsies to test. After they were all tested, I received the good news. No abnormal cells were found in any of the biopsies.

So I am offically in remission.

Lori

Tough question.

Ask 6 different people here and you will more than likely get 15 different answers. With that being said, the majority of recurrences will happen in the first 2 yrs, with the odds going down after the first year. Cancer remission is often thought to mean that the cancer has been cured, this is not always true. "Remission" is used more often for cancers that can be arrested temporarily, such as Hodgkins disease or Leukemia, but may come back requiring another round of treatment.

There are different classifications of remission - complete and partial remission.

Complete remission means that there are no signs or symptoms of cancer. This can mean the cancer has been cured, or cancer may still be present in the body.

Partial remission refers to the point when few signs and symptoms of cancer remain, however there is a noticeable decrease of cancer cells.

Solid tumors often have a "complete response" to treatment, so if your tumor has had a "complete response" that means they killed it dead - period. But Head & Neck cancers, being the nasty little beast they are, may metastasize and start new tumors in regional or distant locations, such as the liver, kidneys, lungs or brain.

Hey Lori,

Great news! Nothing like hearing a biopsy is negative and the evil little cells can't be found. Dance, have a party, enjoy!