Remission-when does it start.

[lucy1dog]

Hi everyone does anyone know when remission starts from. Is it when you are first diagnosed or when you finish your chemo and radiotherapy?.

Lucy x

[Hidden]

Hello Lucy,

It starts from when there is either no evidence of disease at all - so after surgery and scans show this - or when there is known disease, but it is inactive. In the first case you are usually said to be in total or full remission, in the second, your disease is known and in remission.

My oncologist shook my hand at the meeting after my 6th chemo, and said 'congratulations; you are in full remission'. Strictly speaking, I think I had been throughout chemo, but I tend to think of that as the start.

I hope yours has started and remains permanently.

Best wishes,

Isadora.

[doreenharwood]

Hi Isadora,

What a great answer to the above question. I have my 6th and hopefully last chemo tomorrow, a CT scan on the 7th January and then I am seeing my oncology doctor on the 21st January. I am looking forward to asking what stage my cancer is at. When I saw him on Monday he did say he could not really give me an answer until I have had my CT scan. I had a Total Hysterectomy in October and I must say I am feeling great.

I just hope all I have been through is worth it and he says I am in remission.

Thanks again

love Babs x x

[Hidden]

i was told remission starts on the date of your last chemo treatment. or at least, thats when the docs start counting.

[Heffmeister]

Depends if your chemo works or not! I've never been told I've achieved remisson yet I'm still here and feeling well.

[VickyEm]

This is what cancer research website has to say about it:

""What remission means

Remission is a word doctors often use when talking about cancer or leukaemia. It means that after treatment there is no sign of the cancer. You may hear your doctor talk about complete remission and partial remission.

Complete remission means that the cancer or leukaemia can't be detected on scans, X-rays, or blood tests, etc. Doctors sometimes call this a complete response.

Partial remission means the treatment has killed some of the cells, but not all. The cancer has shrunk, but can still be seen on scans and doesn't appear to be growing. The treatment may have stopped the cancer from growing. Or the treatment may have made the cancer smaller so that other treatments are more likely to help, such as surgery or radiotherapy. This is sometimes called a partial response.

Another term doctors use is stable disease. This can mean that the cancer has stayed the same size or it may even have grown by a small amount.""

[Hidden]

My remission started after I finished chemo and had a scan to show the results of whether the chemo had done it's job...so I have been in remission twice ..but my oncologist still says that my cancer is progressive...Best wishes love x G x

[lucy1dog]

Hi everyone who kindly answered my question there does seem to be varying thoughts on the web and with oncologists so I wanted your thoughts. Thank you for your experiences and also for looking on the web. Hope you are all well and when I see my oncologist I am going to ask him as we'll but in January I will be 5years since I started my chemo, I think I'll take that one, ha ha.

Lucy x