When Are You Considered a Cancer Survivor?

If you have ever been diagnosed with cancer or you know someone who has, you may be wondering when are you considered a cancer survivor. Cancer is one of the most difficult medical conditions to treat, and unfortunately there is still no definitive cure for cancer. Advances in medicine, however, have made it possible for more people than ever before to survive a cancer diagnosis. Fortunately, this means there are many more cancer survivors than ever before.

Within the medical community, there is some dispute about exactly when are you considered a cancer survivor. Some believe that you are considered a survivor as soon as you are diagnosed with cancer. Others believe that you are considered a cancer survivor only when you are completely free of the disease - which is sometimes referred to as being in remission. Finally, some think that you are a cancer survivor only when you have been free of cancer for a minimum period of time.

Part of the confusion as to when a person is considered a cancer survivor stems from the fact that cancer patients can sometimes have a recurrence of cancer after a period in which there are no symptoms or cancer cells in the body. These types of cancers, sometimes called recurrent cancer, can be more difficult to treat than the initial cancer diagnosis for many kinds of cancer.

Memorial Sloan Kettering, one of the major cancer treatment facilities in the United States, considers people to be cancer survivors when active treatment is complete and the doctor conducting the treatment classifies the patient as a survivor.

Cancer Diagnosis

Individuals are diagnosed with cancer when abnormal cells begin to grow out of control. These abnormal cells can cause tumors to develop in the body. The cancer cells generally originate in one location in the body - this is the primary area or site of the cancer. Almost any place in the body can be the site of the primary cancer. Breast cancer, lung cancer, bone cancer, throat cancer, prostate cancer and liver cancer are all common types of cancer. Other cancers -called leukemia- can originate in the blood.

Abnormal cells can spread throughout the body. If this occurs, then the cancer usually becomes incurable. This is called "Stage 4" cancer.

If the cancer is localized, or found in one particular location, then it can often be treated. Treatment involves a number of different medical courses of action. Sometimes the tumor and malignant cells can be removed through surgery. Chemotherapy involves using drugs to kill the abnormal cancer cells. Radiation also involves trying to kill the cancer cells.

Cancer Cures

When all of the cancer cells have been removed from the body, the patient is considered to be in remission. For many, being in remission is one answer to the question of when are you considered a cancer survivor. The dictionary defines remission as "a relatively prolonged lessening or disappearance of the symptoms of a disease." Remission is determined by the absence of cancer cells as identified in tests such as blood tests, CAT scans, PET scans, MRIs and other specialized tests.

When you are in remission, you still undergo routine and careful medical treatment to ensure the cancer does not return. This may continue for a period of time determined appropriate by your doctor. During this time, some people consider you to be a cancer survivor, while others set a longer time limit before you are considered a survivor.

Generally, remaining cancer free for five years is a good sign that the cancer will not return. In fact, the American Cancer Society reports statistics on cancer survival in terms of five year survivor rates, and tracks most cancer patients for five years in order to determine relative cure rates and the effectiveness of various treatments.

This five year period is a common duration of time for regular and continuous screenings to continue. For many patients, screenings become less frequent after the five year period, often reducing to once a year or less. Thus, once the patient has been cancer free for at least five years, essentially every authoritative medical community would consider the patient to be a cancer survivor.