Can cancer be cured completely?

In general, surgery offers the best chance for long-term survival from lung cancer. As noted above, when surgery is done at any early stage, has not spread to lymph nodes or blood vessels, doctors may sometimes use the word cure. read more

Cancer can be closely watched and treated, but sometimes it never completely goes away. It can be a chronic (ongoing) illness, much like diabetes or heart disease. This is often the case with certain cancer types, such as ovarian cancer, chronic leukemias, and some lymphomas. read more

Doctors can't be sure that the cancer has completely gone after treatment. So they may suggest that you have some type of long term treatment, such as hormone therapy or a targeted cancer drug. Your doctor may call this adjuvant treatment. read more

Most cancers that are going to come back will do so in the first 2 years or so after treatment. After 5 years, you are even less likely to get a recurrence. For some types of cancer, after 10 years your doctor may say that you are cured. Unfortunately, some types of cancer can come back many years after they were first diagnosed. read more