Latest Cancer TreatmentsDr. Mohammadreza Dabiri
Dr. Mohammadreza Dabiriفارسی
Questions and answers

What does remission mean? Remission, NED, cure and stable disease

Complete and partial remission, "no evidence of disease", cure, stable disease and progression in plain words; and what happens while you are in remission

Updated: 28 October 20267 min read11 references
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Short answer

Remission means that the signs and symptoms of cancer have reduced or disappeared with treatment [1, 2]. In partial remission the cancer has shrunk but is still there; in complete remission all signs of cancer have gone, but cancer cells may still remain in the body [1, 2]. Cure means that the cancer will never come back; because no doctor can be sure of this at first, they usually say "there are no signs of cancer at this time", and if someone stays in complete remission for 5 years or more, some doctors say they are cured [2].

Key points

  • Remission means that the signs and symptoms of cancer have reduced (partial remission) or disappeared (complete remission) with treatment [1, 2].
  • Complete remission does not always mean cure; there may be so few cancer cells that tests cannot find them, and the cancer may come back years later [2, 4].
  • Most cancers that come back do so within the first 5 years; this is why some doctors consider someone who has stayed in complete remission for 5 years or more to be cured [2].
  • This time differs between cancers: in bowel cancer, recurrence becomes uncommon after 5 years and very rare after 8 years [9]; in hormone-positive breast cancer, recurrence has been seen up to 20 years later [10].
  • During remission, regular follow-up is usually every 3 to 4 months for the first 2 to 3 years, then once or twice a year [3].
  • You are a "cancer survivor" from the day of diagnosis, not only after treatment ends [1].

What does remission mean in cancer?

Remission means that the signs and symptoms of cancer have reduced or disappeared with treatment [1]. Your doctor finds this out with checks such as examinations and scans, and in leukaemia with blood and bone marrow tests [5, 7].

  • Partial remission: the cancer has shrunk or reduced, but some of it is still there [1].
  • Complete remission: all signs and symptoms of cancer have gone, although cancer may still be in the body [1].

Remission is good news. But doctors usually avoid the words "you are cured" in the first years; the next section explains why.

The terms your doctor uses

TermWhat it means
Complete remission (complete response)All signs of cancer have gone with treatment; this does not always mean the cancer has been cured [1]
Partial remission (partial response)The cancer has shrunk or reduced with treatment [1]
No evidence of disease (NED)No cancer can be found with today's tests; this is the most a doctor can say [2]
Stable diseaseThe cancer has neither shrunk nor grown [1]
ProgressionThe cancer has grown, spread or got worse [1]
Recurrence (relapse)The cancer has come back after a time when it could not be found, in the same place or elsewhere in the body [1]
CureNo trace of cancer is left after treatment and the cancer will never come back [2]

What these terms mean during treatment, and how your doctor knows whether treatment is working: How do I know if chemotherapy is working?

Remission vs cancer-free: why doesn't the doctor say "you are completely cured"?

Cure means that the cancer will never come back [2]. But even when there are no signs of cancer, a few cancer cells may stay in the body for years and one day cause the cancer to come back [2]. These cells are so few that follow-up tests cannot see them [4]. This is why your doctor honestly says "there are no signs of cancer at this time" [2].

The more time passes, the better the news. Most cancers that come back do so within the first 5 years, but there is a small chance of a later return [2]. If someone stays in complete remission for 5 years or more, some doctors say they are cured [2].

This time differs between cancers:

  • Bowel cancer: in a study of more than 20,000 patients who did or did not have chemotherapy after surgery, recurrence was uncommon after 5 years and very rare after 8 years [9].
  • Hormone-positive breast cancer: in women who had had 5 years of hormone therapy and whose cancer had not come back, recurrences continued at a steady rate from 5 to 20 years later; the risk depended mainly on the size of the tumour and whether lymph nodes were involved at diagnosis [10].

Read more: Can cancer be cured? Which cancers are most curable? and What does 5-year survival mean?

In remission: what happens next?

During remission, regular follow-up continues so that a return of the cancer, a new cancer or late effects of treatment are found early [3]. The usual schedule is a visit every 3 to 4 months for the first 2 to 3 years and then once or twice a year; but your own schedule depends on the type of cancer, the treatment you had and your general health [3].

  • Ask for a written plan: a summary of the treatment you had and of your follow-up plan [3].
  • Scans are not always needed: for example, in lymphoma, routine repeat scans are not recommended if you have no symptoms [6].
  • Sometimes treatment continues: in some cancers, "maintenance" treatment is given after remission to help keep the cancer from coming back; it may go on for a long time [1].
  • Worry is normal: fear of the cancer coming back and anxiety before each scan are common; read: Fear of the cancer coming back and "scanxiety".

Read more: After cancer treatment ends: follow-up, late effects and feeling normal again, What is cancer recurrence and how is it followed up? and Returning to work and everyday life.

What does minimal residual disease (MRD) mean in blood cancers?

In blood cancers such as leukaemia and lymphoma, someone may be in complete remission but still have a very small number of cancer cells in the body. This is called "minimal residual disease", or MRD. Very sensitive tests can find even 1 cancer cell among 1 million healthy cells [1].

In acute myeloid leukaemia, most patients in complete remission still have some leukaemia cells [7]. A negative MRD test is good news: in a large review of studies of children and adults with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, those whose MRD test became negative had a much lower risk of the disease coming back and of death [8]. Doctors use this test to plan treatment, to check how well treatment is working and to find a return of the disease early [1].

Read more: Is leukaemia curable? and Is lymphoma curable?

Ringing the bell at the end of treatment

In many treatment centres, patients ring a bell on their last day of treatment to celebrate the end of it. In a study at one radiotherapy centre, those who rang the bell remembered the distress of treatment as somewhat greater in the following months than those who did not [11]. This is only one study.

Both choices are fine: some people celebrate by ringing the bell and others prefer a quieter ending. If your treatment continues, for example maintenance treatment, or you are not yet in complete remission, you may feel differently; that is natural too.

When are you considered a cancer survivor?

From the day of diagnosis until the end of life [1]. So you do not need to wait for the end of treatment or for 5 years. "Survivorship" is not only about the body; it also covers mental health, family and social life, work and finances, follow-up care, late effects, the cancer coming back and quality of life; and family members and carers are part of it too [1].

When should I call my doctor?

During remission, do not wait for your next appointment; tell your doctor if [3]:

  • you have a new symptom or pain, or a symptom that does not go away
  • a problem is making everyday tasks hard, such as severe tiredness, memory problems or sleep problems
  • you have anxiety or depression
  • you have started a new medicine, supplement or herbal remedy
  • someone in your family has recently been diagnosed with cancer

Your doctor will look into the cause. If you suddenly feel very unwell, call your local emergency number.

Frequently asked questions

Does complete remission mean the cancer will never come back?

Not always. Complete remission means that all signs of cancer have gone, but cancer cells may still remain in the body and the cancer may come back one day [1, 2]. The longer you stay in remission, the lower this chance becomes [2].

What is the difference between remission and being "cancer-free"?

If "cancer-free" means that the cancer will never come back, that is cure [2]. Because a doctor cannot be sure of this at first, they usually use "complete remission" or "no evidence of disease" instead [2].

What does NED mean in cancer?

NED stands for "no evidence of disease": no cancer can be found with today's tests. This is the most a doctor can say [2]. Complete remission also means that all signs of cancer have gone [1], so the two terms describe a similar situation.

If 5 years pass and the cancer has not come back, am I completely cured?

In many cancers, most recurrences happen in the first 5 years, and some doctors talk about cure after 5 years of complete remission [2]. But in some cancers, such as hormone-positive breast cancer, later recurrences are also seen [10]. Keep to the follow-up plan your doctor gives you.

What does stable disease mean in cancer? Is it remission?

No. Stable disease means the cancer has neither shrunk nor grown [1]. It is not remission, but it means the cancer has not grown for now; ask your doctor what it means for you. Read more: How do I know if chemotherapy is working?

I am in remission: why do I still need to take medicine?

In some cancers, maintenance treatment is given after remission to help keep the cancer from coming back; it may go on for a long time [1]. Do not stop it without talking to your doctor. Read more: Chemotherapy tablets at home.

My cancer came back after remission: does that mean the treatment was wrong?

No. Cancer that comes back grows from cells that survived the first treatment and were too few to show up in follow-up tests; this does not mean the earlier treatment was wrong [4]. Read more: What is cancer recurrence?

Related pages

For physicians

Response definitions and evidence on late recurrence (for doctors)

For physiciansSolid tumours (RECIST 1.1)
For physicians
  • Solid tumours (RECIST 1.1): CR is the disappearance of all target lesions, with any pathological lymph node reduced to a short axis below 10 mm; the other definitions are in Assessing tumour response [5].
  • Lymphoma (Lugano): response in FDG-avid lymphomas is assessed with PET-CT and the 5-point scale; routine surveillance imaging in asymptomatic patients is discouraged [6].
  • AML: CR means bone marrow blasts below 5%, an ANC above 1,000/mm3, platelets above 100,000/mm3 and no signs of CNS or other extramedullary disease. CRMRD−‎ means CR with negativity for a genetic marker by RT-qPCR or negativity by multicolour flow cytometry; most patients who meet the CR criteria still have residual leukaemia [7]. AML: ELN 2022 risk and treatment.
  • MRD in ALL: meta-analysis of 39 publications (13,637 patients): event-free survival HR for MRD negativity 0.23 (95% BCI 0.18–0.28) in children and 0.28 (0.24–0.33) in adults; overall survival HR 0.28 (0.19–0.41) and 0.28 (0.20–0.39); the effect was similar across subgroups, methods and timing of assessment [8].
  • Colon cancer (ACCENT, 18 trials, more than 20,800 patients with stage II and III disease): after 5 years the recurrence rate was below 1.5% per year and after 8 years below 0.5% per year; long-term follow-up for recurrence beyond this point is of little value [9].
  • ER-positive breast cancer (EBCTCG, 88 trials, 62,923 women disease-free after 5 years of endocrine therapy): recurrences continued at a steady rate from year 5 to year 20; the 15-year risk of distant recurrence ranged from 10% to 41% depending on TN status and grade: T1N0 13%, T1N1-3 20%, T1N4-9 34%, T2N0 19%, T2N1-3 26% and T2N4-9 41% [10].
  • Ringing the bell: in 210 patients completing definitive radiotherapy at one centre (two consecutive cohorts, not randomised), those who rang the bell reported greater overall distress from treatment (5.6 vs 4.7 out of 10; P=0.045), and the difference grew at follow-up (6.4 vs 5.1; P=0.009) [11].

References

11 references
Show all references, 2 with a study cardClose the reference list

Numbers in the text, such as [1], refer to these sources. Sources with a “Study card” button are summarised in the site’s evidence library.

  1. 1
    NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms (remission, complete remission, partial remission, stable disease, progressive disease, minimal residual disease, maintenance therapy, survivor, survivorship)National Cancer Institute · cancer.gov · 2026
    Source Back to text: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
  2. 2
    Understanding Cancer PrognosisNational Cancer Institute · cancer.gov · 2024
    Source Back to text: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19
  3. 3
    Follow-Up Medical CareNational Cancer Institute · cancer.gov · 2024
    Source Back to text: 1 2 3 4 5
  4. 4
    Recurrent Cancer: When Cancer Comes BackNational Cancer Institute · cancer.gov · 2025
    Source Back to text: 1 2 3
  5. 5
    New response evaluation criteria in solid tumours: revised RECIST guideline (version 1.1)Eisenhauer EA, Therasse P, Bogaerts J, et al · Eur J Cancer · 2009;45:228-47
    DOIPubMed Back to text: 1 2
  6. 6
    Recommendations for initial evaluation, staging, and response assessment of Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma: the Lugano classificationCheson BD, Fisher RI, Barrington SF, et al · J Clin Oncol · 2014;32:3059-68
    Study cardDOIPubMed Back to text: 1 2
  7. 7
    Acute Myeloid Leukemia Treatment (PDQ®)–Health Professional VersionPDQ Adult Treatment Editorial Board, National Cancer Institute · cancer.gov · 2025
    Source Back to text: 1 2 3
  8. 8
    Association of Minimal Residual Disease With Clinical Outcome in Pediatric and Adult Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: A Meta-analysisBerry DA, Zhou S, Higley H, et al · JAMA Oncol · 2017;3:e170580
    DOIPubMed Back to text: 1 2
  9. 9
    Evidence for cure by adjuvant therapy in colon cancer: observations based on individual patient data from 20,898 patients on 18 randomized trialsSargent D, Sobrero A, Grothey A, et al · J Clin Oncol · 2009;27:872-7
    DOIPubMed Back to text: 1 2 3
  10. 10
    20-Year Risks of Breast-Cancer Recurrence after Stopping Endocrine Therapy at 5 YearsPan H, Gray R, Braybrooke J, et al · N Engl J Med · 2017;377:1836-1846
    Study cardDOIPubMed Back to text: 1 2 3 4
  11. 11
    The Cancer Bell: Too Much of a Good Thing?Williams PA, Hu J, Yang D, et al · Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys · 2019;105:247-253
    DOIPubMed Back to text: 1 2

This page is based on reputable scientific sources and was last updated on 28 October 2026. The content of this website is for educational and informational purposes only and does not replace consultation, diagnosis or treatment by a specialist physician. Consult your treating physician about any treatment decision.

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19 October 2026 What is cancer recurrence and how is it followed up? Recurrence means cancer coming back after treatment, from cells the first treatment did not destroy. Follow-up is usually every 3 to 4 months for the first 2 to 3 years, then once or twice a year. 28 October 2026 Can cancer be cured? Which cancers are most curable? Yes; many cancers can be cured completely, especially when they are found early. Testicular cancer, thyroid cancer, Hodgkin lymphoma and breast and prostate cancers found early have the best chance of cure, and some cancers that do not go away completely can be controlled for years with treatment. About 7 in 10 Cancer that has reached the lymph nodes or nearby tissues 19 October 2026 Can I exercise during cancer treatment? Yes; exercise during treatment is safe for most patients and improves tiredness, fitness and quality of life. The programme should suit each person and be agreed with the doctor.