Will My Cancer Come Back?

Many cancer survivors live in fear that their cancer will return. Cancer recurrence is when cancer returns after treatment has ended and the cancer has not been detected for a period of time. Many healthcare professionals consider cancer a chronic illness that must be treated for many years.

You should not let your fears and anxieties about recurrence prevent you from enjoying your life. Your healthcare provider will give you advice for living a healthy lifestyle to continue to improve your quality of life. Routine visits with your healthcare provider are important for surveillance to detect and treat a cancer recurrence immediately.

Know that you are not alone in your concerns about recurrence. Your healthcare provider will be there to advise you every step of the way. In addition, NCI has a free booklet called When Cancer Returns that contains resource and advice about recurrence.