While remission can signal the end of a long road, it does not necessarily mean that the journey is over. Once there has been a diagnosis of breast cancer, the risk of a recurrence is never zero.
If you remain in complete remission for five years or more, some doctors may say that you are cured, or cancer-free.
Survival for all stages of breast cancer
Around 95 out of every 100 women (around 95%) survive their cancer for 1 year or more after diagnosis. Around 85 out of every 100 women (around 85%) will survive their cancer for 5 years or more after diagnosis.
Most people fully recover with treatment. Talk with your doctor if you develop any new symptoms after radiation therapy or if the side effects are not going away. Long-term effects of trastuzumab and/or chemotherapy.
Understanding the breast cancer recurrence rate
On average, 7 percent to 11 percent of women with early breast cancer experience a local recurrence during this time. For breast cancer patients with a family history of cancer, or a BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutation, the cancer recurrence rate is higher.
Many people survive for years or even decades after getting a breast cancer diagnosis and receiving treatment. Typically, the earlier a doctor diagnoses and treats the condition, the better a person's outlook. Regular follow-up appointments are important for monitoring a person's health after breast cancer treatment.
How common is breast cancer recurrence? Most local recurrences of breast cancer occur within five years of a lumpectomy. You can lower your risk by getting radiation therapy afterward. You have a 3% to 15% chance of breast cancer recurrence within 10 years with this combined treatment.
The 5-year relative survival rate for women in the United States with non-metastatic invasive breast cancer is 91%. The 10-year relative survival rate for women with non-metastatic invasive breast cancer is 85%. The survival rates for breast cancer vary based on several factors.
Recurrent breast cancer may occur months or years after your initial treatment. The cancer may come back in the same place as the original cancer (local recurrence), or it may spread to other areas of your body (distant recurrence).
Cancer survival rates often use a five-year survival rate. That doesn't mean cancer can't recur beyond five years. Certain cancers can recur many years after first being found and treated. For some cancers, if it has not recurred by five years after initial diagnosis, the chance of a later recurrence is very small.
In a complete remission, all symptoms and signs of cancer go away and there's no detectable cancer in the body—based on scans, blood work and/or other tests, such as a biopsy. If you are considered in complete remission for more than five years, some doctors may say that you are cured.
Remission can be partial or complete. In a complete remission, all signs and symptoms of cancer have disappeared. If you remain in complete remission for 5 years or more, some doctors may say that you are cured. Still, some cancer cells can remain in your body for many years after treatment.
The World Cancer Research Fund recommends that women who have had breast cancer follow advice to reduce their risk of cancer coming back. This includes eating a healthy diet that is high in fibre and low in saturated fats, being physically active, maintaining a healthy weight and limiting alcohol (if consumed at all).
Sometimes after cancer treatment, cancer comes back or returns. This is called a cancer recurrence. It can happen weeks, months, or even years after the original cancer was treated. It is not possible to know for sure if cancer will come back after your treatment ends.
According to the American Cancer Society, the term “cancer survivor” is defined as anyone with cancer regardless of what stage of treatment they are going through.
Does cancer always come back? While cancer doesn't always return, recurrence is common for some hard-to-treat forms of cancer. These recurrences usually follow certain patterns that patients may be aware of in order to catch things as early as possible. There's no way to guarantee that cancer won't return.
The overall 5-year relative survival rate for breast cancer is 90%. This means 90 out of 100 women are alive 5 years after they've been diagnosed with breast cancer. The 10-year breast cancer relative survival rate is 84% (84 out of 100 women are alive after 10 years).
And it also means that more and more people are benefiting from early detection and advances in treatment. These days, breast cancer survivors often live long, satisfying, happy lives. However, it's not always smooth sailing after treatment is over.
Low-risk childhood acute myeloid leukemia demonstrates low recurrence rates beginning at 9%. Abbreviations: ALL, acute lymphoblastic leukemia; AML, acute myeloid leukemia; DLBCL, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma; PTCL, peripheral T-cell lymphoma; NSCLC, non-small cell lung cancer.
One to three percent of survivors develop a second cancer different from the originally treated cancer. The level of risk is small, and greater numbers of survivors are living longer due to improvements in treatment. However, even thinking about the possibility of having a second cancer can be stressful.
The risk of breast cancer recurring is higher in the first few years and reduces as time goes on. However, recurrence can happen even many years after treatment, which is why it's important to be breast and body aware, and report any changes to your treatment team or GP.
Breast cancer survivors should focus on eating a diet that is rich in whole foods, such as fruits, vegetables, lean proteins and whole grains, and avoid processed foods, sweets and sugary beverages.
There has been some disagreement over the connection between vitamin D levels and breast cancer. Current research shows that having low vitamin D levels might be linked to a higher risk for cancer recurrence.