My mother treatment for her throat cancer and has recently been given results from her first follow-up CT and PET scan: no detectable trace of cancer in its previous location.
(Pause for cheers)

We are all thrilled with this news.... but I have questions I am not comfortable asking her.

I am guessing these results came from the scans and oral examinations.
When recurrance happens, is that a regrowth of cancer cells? Or is it that the cancer was never 100% removed and - over time - grows to a detectable size?

I guess a follow up question is about rate of recurrence and probability. If she was told, 'no trace of cancer where it was,' what are the probable outcomes?
1) cancer stays away
2) cancer 'returns' - how quickly is this possible? within the three months between now and her next visit?
3) Her doctors warned that recurrence is most likely within 2 years. I guess after 5 years, cancer is considered cured.

I do appreciate her wonderful news, but I would also like to know the possibilities to look out for.
Thank you in advance.

Yes to almost all of your questions.

Yes it could be a growth of not killed cells;
Yes it could be a growth of new cells;
Yes the cancer could never return;
Yes it could return quickly;
Yes it could take years to return;
No 5 years is not a miracle safe haven threshold.

I wish anyone could be more definitive in these answers but that's the way cancer is today.

I could ditto what David said (I guess I did).

For you and your Mom what would you change about your relationship if it did return?

Would you have a different answer if it returned 2 years from now?

How about 5 years?

I'm going to guess your relationship with your mom wouldn't change.

Please let this next few words settle firmly in your mind: No one can predict or know what will happen in the future. The cancer may or may not come back. Don't beat yourself up worrying about it. That would be a waste of time. Keep her doctors worrying about it. Make sure she gets frequent checks. That is why they make the big bucks.

First, congrats on the good test results. That is always such a huge relief when the tests come back clear.

A recurrance is a terrifying thing to think about, but it can and does happen. As a survivor of a recurrance there are a few things to add. Every person here has dealt with things slightly differently as far as their reactions to meds/tx.

I had a clear PET scan a few months after my treatments ended. About 3 months later, I got another small sore on the inside of my L cheek. It was almost the same spot as where one of my first tumors was located. It was about 1/4 inch away. The docs think there was a tiny microscopic bit of cancer that wasnt killed thru chemo/rad. They think it had been 'hidden' somehow. Honestly, to me it didnt matter at all how it got there. The facts were plain and simple that I had OC again and had to get rid of it which I successfully did.

I had always been one who was very scared about a recurrance and wouldnt even read about it for some odd fear that it would happen. It happened anyway, it was removed with surgery and I have since had a clear PET recently. I have learned and hope to pass on to you that the future isnt something we have much control over. Please dont waste time worrying about a recurrance, it just steals your time.

Wishing you and your mom many happy, healthy wonderful years to come.

IF (big emphasis on "IF") a recurrence were to occur, at the original tumor site, there is an 80% chance of it happening in the first year.

The second year, the chance or reoccurence drop to 15% at the original tumor site.

From years 2-5 the chance of recurrence drops to 5%. That's why 2 year point is considered by many to be a benchmark year. 5 years really means nothing to patients - it is a number that is utilized by doctors and researchers as a measuring stick.

I could technically tell people that I have achieved 100% complete response to treatment since I have 6 years but I elect to say I am cancer free today.

There is another perspective here as well. All of the preceeding refers to recurrence at the original tumor site. Regional and distant metastesis are also possibilities and they don't fit into the above statistics. They don't do a very good job of checking for regional and even less for distant metastesis.

You will NEVER hear me say I "beat" cancer. It is a formidable opponent and, like all other sources of evil and terror in the world, demands cautious respect.

There are a few here who's tumor actually appeared to be "fueled" by the treatment or it came back with avengence within weeks or months - but that scenario is fairly uncommon.

When your time is up it's up.

Hopefully your mother will have a "complete response" to treatment and not have any regional or distant metastesis like Brian, myself and others here.

Let's celebrate the good news today and hope the negative tests and scans keep repeating as the years pass.

"You can be cancer free but you are never free from cancer"

Really well put, Gary. I was thinking how I would have formulated things, and couldn't have said it better.

As I approach the 2 year mark from diagnosis,I find that I spend less time focusing on recurrence possibilities, but it is never completely out of your mind, and there is the ongoing fibrosis and related stiffness, xerostomia, etc., to serve as a reminder that this is not a cavalier endeavor. My follow up appointments with the surgeon, RO and MO fall about 5 -6 weeks apart, on average, which means that the mind is never clear of the thought -- hence my total concurrence with your "you are never free of cancer" remark.

With Ohio drivers, I figure my chance of being 86'ed by one of them is about the same as my recurrence chances, so try not to spend too much time worrying.

Great post!