Photo by Ivy Vainio A few weeks ago, someone wrote to me and felt that I had erred on using the term “remission” in relation to my cancer. I had previously stated that after a CT scan in October 2017, my cancer was in remission. Apparently this person had thought that I used the term incorrectly.
To clarify, there are two types of remission. Partial Remission means that a person whose cancer has been subdued can take a break from their treatment, i.e., chemo and/or radiation. Complete Remission means the cancer is gone via surgery and treatment. In complete remission, the cancer has disappeared although it may still be in the body. In my case, my cancer is currently in complete remission or NED (No Evidence of Disease). It doesn’t mean I’m cured. It means I’m cancer-free for the moment. In Cancerland, you’re not considered cured of your cancer until five years have passed. And that can be a long five years. I know this from my own experience. In May 2013, I had colon cancer surgery and my ascending colon was removed. My cancer was Stage I and it didn’t require chemo. At that point, I began my five-year therapy program – annual CT scans for five years. I was NED the first two years. In the third year (2016), my CT scan revealed a malignant lesion on the left lob of my liver. The liver is the favorite spot for colon cancer cells to establish a colony. In November 2016, the left lob of my liver of my liver was removed with 16 rounds of chemo - 4 rounds of neo-adjuvant chemo and 12 rounds of adjuvant chemo. And at that point, I went back to Point A and began the five-year program anew. (I felt like the character in “Momento” who kept going back to the beginning.) This time there is a difference. My current therapy includes CT scans every three months for three years followed by two CT scans for two years. So far, my cancer is in (complete) remission. So why the heavy schedule of CT scans? Because I’m considered a high-risk cancer patient. Although I wasn’t aware of it, I received that designation in 2013. It was in the cancer report but I simply overlooked it. My oncologist reaffirmed that designation last year when I asked about heavy CT scan schedule. High-risk cancer patient is defined as the chance that a person will develop cancer. Or, it is used to describe the chance that the cancer will come back or recur. This is, of course, what happened in my recurrence in 2013 with colon cancer mets to my liver. Man, this is going to be a long five years. Actually I should say four years since my first year was 2017. My second year has started out good – continued remission (or NED) in my CT scan in January. But I approach my second year with a bit of trepidation since the second year is often a period of recurrence for high-risk cancer patients. Like other cancer patients, I hang on the word “remission.” It’s what we want to hear. Remission is another word for hope. And hope is what defines us on our cancer journey.
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Robert Desjarlait
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