Many cancer survivors find living with the fear of recurrence challenging. Knowing what to expect from your health care team and also what you can do may help.
More often than not, the more time that passes, the less likely it is that your cancer will recur (come back). For this reason, you will have more follow-up appointments the first year after your treatment and then, as each year passes and you are cancer free, you will see your oncologist (cancer doctor) less.
Cancer research can provide a rough sense of the likelihood of recurrence for you based on the stage of your cancer, details about the tumour, the treatment you had, and other risk factors, but research results cannot help your doctor know for sure if your cancer will return and/or if you will get another type of cancer.
If you would like to know what research has shown the likelihood of recurrence is for groups of people with cancer(s) and treatments like yours, ask your doctor at your follow-up appointment.
