I think that when it comes to tobacco origin cancers, the 5 year mark does indeed mean something, but it's far from an absolute. Statistically (and everyone knows how much I hate manipulatable statistics) the odds of recurrence go down pretty low at five years, and are the highest in the first two. But that general statement made by oncologists for years, is far from accurate. Once you have had cancer, you can get it again. This is a genetic issue combined with lifestyle. Only part of that equation do we have any control over. Clearly, there are many factors that influence this, from field carcinogenisis which in tobacco which produces second primaries in new locations since they were all contaminated at some point, but turn into cancers on different schedules. And of course genetic predisposition to getting cancer itself, or perhaps the new exposure to virus causes, that if it bit you once they might bite you again (you certainly don't become immune to them). There certainly are a multitude of ways for things to go south, and I haven't mentioned all the ones that come to mind.

I'm about 12 years out from my primary, and there have been a couple of incidences during that time that were caught really early. I've met a 17 year oral cancer survivor, who cancer free for all that time, is in recurrence. Jeez that sucks. Biology is unpredictable. Hell, life is unpredictable. I still think about it all. I still skip a beat with every little sore that comes up in my mouth. I know my immune system overall is more incompetent as I age every year. Given all this, what can you really know for sure? Not much. I guess the question is can you every really be free of it emotionally? Since I know I can't get there intellectually, or through statistics, or by looking at others who are biologically "not me".... I don't think I can get there. Worse, I chose to stay in the fray by doing OCF - talk about a constant reminder and psychic debris.....

5 years is just a number. We all hope for a long life, one productive, happy, free from all ailments. But life isn't like that. Hope is a good thing, (and too much in the way of contemplating it all as it related to me specifically), yields reality checks that I don't like to dwell on, and is not helpful for me. When someone finds the key to not worrying about all the what if's.... I hope they write a how to book about it. In the meantime, I'm not counting days, months, or years since the intellectual and science part of me knows that they are not absolutes, but castles in the sand. I'm looking at tomorrow and trying to figure out how I can milk it for everting it's worth. Because even if you are not a cancer survivor, tomorrow ain't promised to anyone.

Brian, stage 4 oral cancer survivor. OCF Founder and Director. The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between, the leader is a servant.