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