After completing cancer treatment, many survivors face unexpected issues and concerns. One of the most feared scenarios is hearing that the cancer has returned. Patients coping with a second cancer diagnosis often encounter unfamiliar medical terms related to their disease and its treatment. Here, we highlight some common cancer terms and provide brief explanations of what each term means.
Cancer Recurrence: The return of cancer after treatment and a period during which the cancer was undetectable. These cancer cells may have been dormant for some time but eventually resumed multiplying, resulting in the cancer’s reappearance. The same cancer may return to its original location or appear elsewhere in the body.
Localized Recurrent Cancer: Cancer that has recurred at or near the same place as the original tumor, typically after a period when the cancer could not be detected.
Metastatic Cancer: Cancer that has spread from its original site to another part of the body. Cancer cells can travel through the lymphatic system or bloodstream to other organs. Metastatic cancer retains the name and type of cells of the original cancer. For example, breast cancer that spreads to the lung and forms a metastatic tumor is called metastatic breast cancer, not lung cancer.
Metastasis: The process by which cancer cells spread to other parts of the body.
Metastatic Tumor: A tumor formed by metastatic cancer cells.
Second Primary Cancer: A new primary cancer that develops in a person who has a history of cancer.
Salvage Therapy: Treatment given after the cancer has not responded to other treatments.
Being diagnosed with cancer again can be overwhelming. St. Louis CyberKnife is here to help. Our advanced CyberKnife technology provides precise, non-invasive treatment options for recurrent and metastatic cancers, aiming to improve outcomes and quality of life.