Difference Between Cure and Remission

It is sometimes difficult to understand medical terminology. In fact, there are many medical terms that a layman cannot understand. The difference between cure and remission, for one, is often a misunderstood topic. There is confusion surrounding the two terms and to further complicate the thing remission can be either partial or complete. Let’s take a good look at the two terms to have a better understanding of them and their related clinical implications. We also break down the differences between the two terms.

Cure

There are presently no alternatives or natural treatments that have been clinically proven to cure cancer. Treatments may include chemotherapy, surgery, immunotherapy, and radiation therapy. But cancer is a class of illness that may never be cured completely. Whether it can be cured or not depends on how early cancer is detected and diagnosed. Early detection and diagnosis is very important which will eventually decide the future course of actions. After initial diagnosis, the patient needs to go through several different medical tests including biopsy, blood work, CT scan, PET scan, or MRI. This determines the extent or stage of cancer. Then further course of therapy is planned. The term cure is typically used when there are slim chances that cancer will come back in the future.

Remission

The term remission is used by doctors after cancer has been treated. Remission refers to a time period when the cancer is responding to therapy followed by repetitive examinations and tests. Remission means the symptoms and signs of cancer have started to disappear. Many people assume that remission means the cancer has been cured completely but that’s not always the case. It indicates that the cancer is starting to improve in a measurable way. The tumor(s) may appear to be shrinking or disappearing which suggests the disease is responding well to the treatment. Remission can be either partial or complete. Partial remission means there are some symptoms still present but the tumor is significantly reduced in size. Complete remission means no signs of cancer show up on any tests and cancer cells cannot be found. This indicates that there is no evidence of detectable disease at a certain point of time.

Difference between Cure and Remission

Meaning

– Some people believe that remission means the cancer has been cured but that’s not the case. The term cure is typically used by physicians or doctors when the chances of cancer coming back are very less after a certain point of time. Remission means there are mild traces of cancer in your body and the symptoms of cancer have disappeared significantly. Remission can be either partial or complete. Partial remission means the size of the tumor has been reduced in response to the treatment and complete remission means all major signs of cancer have disappeared and no signs of cancer show up on any tests. But this doesn’t mean the cancer is cured.

Signs

– When the size of the tumor has reduced by at least 50% but the cancer is still there, the patient is said to be in partial remission which means he or she can take a break from treatments and therapies as long as the cancer doesn’t begin to grow again. This improvement must last for at least a month to be considered in remission. When there is no evidence of cancer at a certain time point, the patient is said to be in complete remission. Cure, on the contrary, implies that all the visible symptoms of cancer in the body are gone and it’s highly unlikely that the cancer will return. For a patient to be called cured, the patient must have had in remission for at least five years.

Cure vs. Remission: Comparison Chart

Summary

There is literally no way a doctor or physician can tell if all the cancer cells in a patient’s body are gone, which is probably why they do not generally use the term ‘cured.’ Remission is the right term here which suggests that the cancer is improving in a measurable way and the patient is responding to the treatment. The tumor starts shrinking and the symptoms starts to disappear which suggest improvements. But that doesn’t mean the cancer is cured or gone. It can come back in the future.

Is cancer free the same as remission?

Being in remission is not the same as being cancer-free. In blood cancer, it means the cancer cells have gradually decreased whereas in solid tumors, remission means the tumor size has reduced significantly. Cancer free means all signs and symptoms of cancer have disappeared.

What does it mean to go into remission?

Remission refers to a time period when the cancer is responding to therapy. When all signs and symptoms of cancer have started to disappear, you go into remission.

Does remission mean cancer will come back?

Complete remission means all major signs of cancer have disappeared and no signs of cancer show up on any tests. But this doesn’t mean the cancer is cured. It may come back in the future.

How long before remission is cured?

If a patient remains in complete remission for five years or more, the doctor may say you are cured.

What cancers cannot be cured?

Glioblastoma, the most common type of brain cancer, is an aggressive type of cancer with a nearly 100% recurrence rate. Lung and bronchus cancer are among the deadliest cancers that are responsible for most deaths.

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