The short answer
Remission means the signs and symptoms of cancer have decreased or disappeared. Recurrence means cancer has come back after a period of not being detected. Follow-up care watches for recurrence and helps manage health after treatment.
Remission means the signs and symptoms of cancer have decreased or gone away.
A complete remission means no cancer can be detected; a partial remission means it has shrunk.
Remission is not always the same as cure, though a long remission can mean cure.
Recurrence means cancer has come back after not being detected for a time.
Watch: Remission vs. cure
50 sec · Captioned · Remission and cure mean different things — and time is what separates them.
Educational only — this video explains general report language and is not medical advice. Only your care team can say what a result means for you.
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The full explanation.
The simple version
After treatment, two words come up a lot: remission and recurrence. Remission means the cancer has decreased or disappeared. Recurrence means it has come back. Understanding both helps make sense of follow-up care.
What remission means
Remission comes in two forms. A complete remission means no cancer can be found on tests. A partial remission means the cancer has shrunk but is still there. Remission is good news, though it is not always the same as cure.
Complete remission means no cancer can be detected; partial means it has shrunk.
What recurrence means
Recurrence means cancer has come back after a period when it could not be detected. It can return in the same place, nearby, or in a distant part of the body. The chance of recurrence depends on the type and stage of the original cancer.
Why follow-up matters
Follow-up care watches for recurrence, manages any late effects of treatment, and supports overall health. A survivorship care plan lays out which check-ups and tests you need and when.
When planned treatment is ending, bring questions to ask at the end of treatment. If cancer does come back, start with When Cancer Comes Back.
When to get help sooner
You do not have to wait for your next scheduled visit.
- Call 911 or go to an emergency department if you develop new weakness or numbness in both legs, trouble walking, or new trouble controlling your bladder or bowels, especially with back pain. Cancer pressing on the spinal cord is treated within hours, and waiting can cost permanent function.
- Call 911 or go to an emergency department if you have chest pain, sudden breathlessness, or you cough up blood; if you have a sudden severe headache, a seizure, new confusion, face droop or one-sided weakness; or if bleeding is heavy and will not stop.
- Call your care team the same day if you have new pain that is severe, a new lump or swelling, or bleeding you cannot explain.
- Call your care team within a day or two if you have any new symptom that will not go away — lasting fatigue, weight you are losing without trying, changes in bladder or bowel habits, or trouble sleeping, concentrating, or remembering.
- Tell your team too if you feel very anxious or low, or if you start a new medicine, vitamin, or supplement. These belong in your follow-up plan as well.
Ask your team directly which symptoms they want to hear about, and how to reach them between visits.
Sources
Words to know
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Common questions
What does remission mean?
Remission means the signs and symptoms of cancer have decreased or disappeared. In a complete remission, no cancer can be found on tests; in a partial remission, the cancer has shrunk but is still there.
Is remission the same as cure?
Not exactly. Remission means the cancer is not detectable or has shrunk; cure means it is gone and will not come back. A long remission may mean the cancer is cured, but doctors often watch for a time before using the word cure.
What is recurrence?
Recurrence means cancer has come back after a period when it could not be detected. It can return in the same place, nearby, or in another part of the body.
Why is follow-up care important?
Follow-up care checks for recurrence, manages any late effects of treatment, and supports overall health. A survivorship care plan lays out the schedule.
Questions to ask your doctor
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Last updated: 2026-08-13Next planned review: 2028-07-07
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How this page was created
Cancer Explained does not originate medical claims. Every page restates guidance already published by the National Cancer Institute, the CDC, the USPSTF and the FDA, in plain language, with the source cited so you can check the original yourself. AI does the translating and organizing; automated checks test claims, citations, clarity and safety before anything publishes. We do not employ clinicians and do not intend to — our work is translation and navigation, not clinical judgment. Nothing here is personal medical advice, and no page can account for your particular situation.
Editorial status: Source checked — This page was written with AI assistance and checked line by line against the sources listed on it. That confirms the sources support what the page says. It is not a medical review, and it does not confirm the page is complete or right for your situation.
Human medical review: not completed. Pages here are not signed off by a clinician before they publish. That is not an oversight we are quietly working around: we restate published guidance and cite it, so the authority belongs to the source rather than to us, and every page names where its claims come from — you can verify us instead of trusting us. Where a volunteer clinician has reviewed a page, their name and credentials appear on it; where no name appears, no clinician has checked it. We are glad to have reviewers and are recruiting them, and we do not hold pages back waiting for one. Use this site to understand your situation and to ask better questions of the people treating you.
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