Does it come back

[Moorzo]

Small cell lung cancer gone for the last 4 years, will it return?

[KT22]

My uncles returned after 6 years. He had yearly checks from 3 years.

[RoyCastleHelpline Partner Ask the Nurse Roy Castle]

Dear MoorzoWelcome to the forum where you will find support and encouragement.

It is very encouraging that you say your lung cancer has not been present for 4 years. As you know ,routine follow up will check for any recurrence, which is normal for any type of cancer, however it does depend on the stage and type of cancer that was initially treated.

The best person to ask will be your lung cancer nurse specialist or doctor as they know your full clinical history.

If there is anything you would like to discuss you can either email us at [e-mail] or call our free phone nurse led helpline number on 0800 358 7200

Kind regards

The Roy Castle Support Team

[JanetteR57]

Good news that you have no evidence of disease for the last 4 years. Worrying about whether cancer will return is a common worry for most cancer patients to the point that they don't live their best lives in the moment but get anxious about the 'what if.....' I had some serious symptoms and was back in hospital several times with what (thankfully) turned out to be nasty chest infections after my lung cancer diagnosis and surgery and not only I but medics were also considering whether it had returned. As others have said, best to discuss with your medical team but none of them has a crystal ball and in the same way they are often unable to predict which patients will respond to anti cancer treatments, they can't predict somebody's lifespan or whether they might succumb to a recurrence or a different cancer. I found the book 'cancer is a word not a sentence' by Dr Rob Buckman helped me stop worrying that everything post diagnosis was related to the cancer and 'anti-cancer - a new way of life' by Dr Servan Schreiber put me in a mindset of what could I do to reduce the odds and lead a healthier life. good luck.