 Senior Patient Advocate Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts)
Joined: Sep 2006 Posts: 8,311 | Cindy,
I am not yet a long time survivor but I hope to be. Anyway this is what my doc said to me about remission.
Cancer remission is often thought to mean that the cancer has been cured. However, this is not always true.
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.
I am sure you will get some variations to that description but it sounds reasonable.
David
Age 58 at Dx, HPV16+ SCC, Stage IV BOT+2 nodes, non smoker, casual drinker, exercise nut, Cisplatin x 3 & concurrent IMRT x 35,(70 Gy), no surgery, no Peg, Tx at Moffitt over Aug 06. Jun 07, back to riding my bike 100 miles a wk. Now doing 12 Spin classes and 60 outdoor miles per wk. Nov 13 completed Hilly Century ride for Cancer, 104 miles, 1st Place in my age group. Apr 2014 & 15, Spun for 9 straight hrs to raise $$ for YMCA's Livestrong Program. Certified Spin Instructor Jun 2014.
| 
