Dealing with cancer that comes back
Sometimes cancer can come back, even after successful treatment. This is known as cancer recurrence or relapse. Learn what questions you can ask and ways you can move forward if your cancer returns.
Why did my cancer come back?
Even after successful cancer treatment, sometimes cancer comes back. Cancer can come back for many reasons, depending on the cancer type, stage, and other factors. When cancer returns, it’s known as cancer recurrence or relapse. You may also hear your care team say your cancer has “metastasized,” which means that the cancer has spread from one part of the body to another.
How is recurrent cancer treated?
When cancer comes back after treatment, it might feel like a big step backward—even if you knew this was a possibility for your cancer type. But there may be treatment options available. Talking to your care team can help you understand what types of treatments may be an option for you, depending on many factors. These may include:
Cancer type
Cancer stage
Cancer location
Your care team can help support you through every stage of your journey. They can help walk you through all of your options, which may include clinical trials.
Care team conversations
Talk to your doctor about treatment options for cancer that has returned using these questions to help guide the conversation:
- Why did my cancer come back?
- What are my treatment options?
- Do some treatments work differently than others for my type of cancer?
- Are additional tests recommended to help me learn more about my treatment options?
- Should I consider exploring a clinical trial?
- Where can I get support for anxiety and distress after learning my cancer has come back?
Where do I go from here?
It’s hard to know where to start when you find out cancer has come back. Here are a few tips to help:
Talk with your care team about what’s next
Your cancer care team can help you look at your treatment goals and understand what options may help treat the recurrent cancer. It’s OK if your treatment plan changes. Your care team might also want to use biomarker testing (a type of lab test) to determine whether certain treatments may be an option.
You can use the Care Team Conversations section to help guide your discussion.
Give yourself time to process emotions
You may be feeling a range of emotions after learning your cancer has come back. It may even feel more upsetting than the original diagnosis, and that is completely normal. Be compassionate with yourself and take all the time you need to process this shock.
Read other articles about coping with uncertainties and the stages of cancer grief for more help.
Find support from others
When you are ready, you can make a plan for sharing your cancer diagnosis with family, friends, and coworkers. They can each offer support in different ways, but remember that you are in charge of how much information you share and when.
You may also want to consider joining a support group online to connect with others who have faced cancer recurrence. Resources like CancerCare.org have lists of available support groups led by oncology social workers that meet both online and in person. You can also search for a support group through social media platforms.
Will biomarker testing help determine which treatment may work for me?
Biomarkers help your doctors learn more about the cancer and help determine which treatment may work for you. Find out what questions to ask about biomarker testing and when.
US-KEY-08165 09/24