Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie
Hi there,
There is an issue with role permissions that is being worked on at the moment.
If you are having trouble with access or permissions on regional forums please post here to get access: https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058365403/you-do-not-have-permission-for-that#latest

Cancer - is it ever completely gone?

  • 02-10-2006 10:43pm
    #1
    Faith
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 30,661 Mod ✭✭✭✭


    October being breast cancer awareness month brought this question to my mind. Can it ever be said that cancer is truely gone, or are you always in remission?

    My mother was diagnosed with breast cancer in November 2004 and beat it. She's been given the all clear for the past 18 months, but does that just mean that she's in remission? I'm not asking for medical advice in any way, I'm just curious as to the correct term to use. Is there even a difference between saying that it's in remission or that it's gone?


Comments

  • #2
    DrIndy
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,461 ✭✭✭DrIndy


    Doctors are afraid to say that someone is completely cured as they may be wrong, so we say remission. Remission can mean recurrence in years to never, ever recurring. Remission means at the time, there is no cancer present.

    The odds for successful treatment depend on the staging of any cancer as well as the tissue type.

    Breast cancer is usually either ductal carcinoma or lobular carcinoma but can have rarer subtypes and this is diagnosed by a pathologist in a lab.

    Staging is done with a surgeon and a radiologist or x-ray doctor who determine if the cancer is well located or if it has spread and depending on this if minor or extensive surgery is needed to remove it.

    Breast cancer has a complex staging mechanism, involving clinical suspicion, Radiological staging and cytology or pathology staging in a breast clinic and then it is further staged as to size, tissue type and amount of spread to lymph nodes and other organs or stages 0 to IV.

    Depending on the stage and the operation done as well as receiving chemotherapy, hormone therapy or radiotherapy all change the outcomes.

    If the surgeons are happy with the results, its safe to be happy too. They know the full details and it is best to get specific advice from them.


Advertisement