Sometimes, lung cancer comes back after you’ve had treatment. This is called a recurrence. It can happen at any time or not at all. But lung cancer is most likely to return within 5 years after you
were diagnosed. After treatment, some tiny cancer cells may stay in your body. Over time, these cells may divide and grow into a cancer again. Your lung cancer may come back in your lungs. Or it may return
in a different part of your body. There are three types of cancer recurrence: The symptoms of a lung cancer recurrence depend on where it comes back. If
it’s in your lungs, you may have: Other general signs of cancer include: If you have one or more of
these symptoms for a while or they get worse, talk to your doctor. You may also not have any signs of disease at all. That’s why it’s important go to your follow-up appointments. Your doctor will do an exam and may order tests to check for a lung cancer recurrence. Get immediate medical help if you have sudden or serious symptoms, such as high fever, severe pain, or a hard time catching your breath. Chances of RecurrenceYour chances depend on what type of lung cancer you have and its stage. The kind of treatment you’ve had may also play a role. There are two types of lung cancer: Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most common, accounting for roughly 85% of cases. The other kind is small-cell lung cancer (SCLC). If you have NSCLC, your chance of
a recurrence depends on what stage you have. Your doctor will tell you your stage from 0 to IV. In general, the higher your stage, the more your cancer has spread, and the greater chance it’ll come back. For example, research shows that one in three people with stage I will have a recurrence. For those diagnosed with stage III, the lung cancer will return about 63% of the time. SCLC is the most aggressive kind of lung cancer. Although SCLC responds well to treatment at first, most people will have a recurrence in a year or two. When SCLC comes back, it tends to spread faster. There are two stages:
TreatmentYour doctors may recommend a different treatment for your cancer recurrence than what you did the first time. They will decide based on:
Your doctor may prescribe one or more of these treatments. The goal may be to cure the cancer, slow its growth, or ease any symptoms.
Does small cell lung cancer always come back?Recap. The chance of a recurrence depends on many factors, including the type and stage of the original lung cancer. Between 30% and 55% of people with non-small cell lung cancer (the most common type) experience a recurrence. About 70% of people with small cell lung cancers do.
What is the recurrence rate of small cell lung cancer?However, with recurrence rates of 20% to 50% among resected early-stage NSCLC patients. That is why we designed an effective prognostic model based on clinical, pathological, and surgical covariates.
What are the odds of beating small cell lung cancer?The general 5-year survival rate for people with SCLC is 7%. It is important to note that survival rates depend on several factors, including the stage of disease. For people with localized SCLC, which means the cancer has not spread outside of the lung, the overall 5-year survival rate is 27%.
Can you live 10 years with small cell lung cancer?The 5-year survival rate was 3.5% (limited-stage disease, 4.8%; extensive-stage disease, 2.3%), and the 10-year survival rate was 1.8% (limited-stage disease, 2.5%; extensive-stage disease, 1.2%).
|