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Recurrence
is a medical word that means that the cancer has come back in a patient
who was thought to be cancer-free (in remission) after treatment.
Cancer can come back:
- in the same organ or tissues where it started or in nearby
tissues - this is called local recurrence
- in lymph nodes near the original cancer - this is called
regional recurrence
- in other organs or tissues - this is called distant
recurrence
Distant recurrence is also called metastatic recurrence.
For example, the cancer might recur in distant parts of body, such as
in bones, the liver, or the lungs. This happens because some cancer
cells have broken off from the original tumor, traveled through the
body, and are growing in these new places.
Last Medical Review: 01/28/2009
Last Revised: 01/28/2009
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