What does it mean to completely cure an illness? (Cure) Let's find out exactly what this means!

There are some words we use in medicine that can cause big problems if we don't know exactly what they mean. One such word is 'Cure'. Simply put, a disease is cured when it is completely cured and will not come back. For many people, 'cure' means more than that. It means being free from illness, not stuck in a treatment plan, not having to see a doctor all the time, and being at peace with yourself. This is even more serious in the case of diseases like Alzheimer's Disease, Parkinson's Disease, severe heart disease, and cancer. The hope of a cure is to be able to live without the fear of death, without the burden of having to change your life because of a diagnosis you can't control. But this is where the word 'Cure' can get a little confusing. It's not a magic bullet that will provide good health and the peace of mind that comes with it. For example, many people with incurable diseases, such as some types of cancer, live full lives without symptoms. So, understanding what a 'cure' is and what it isn't can help you plan for the future if you recognize that you have an incurable condition.

What is the difference between "Cure" and "Treatment"?

Treatment refers to the medicines, medical procedures, and therapies that are given to improve your health and well-being. A cure is just one treatment outcome that can lead to this improvement. Other treatment outcomes can also keep you healthy and allow you to live the life you want. Here are some treatment outcomes:

• Cure: Your disease or illness is completely gone. It will not come back. For example, antibiotics for bacterial infections kill the bacteria that are currently present and cure the disease. However, they cannot prevent new exposure to the bacteria from coming back. But they can kill the specific bacteria that caused your current infection.
• Prevention : Protecting yourself from a disease or condition before it develops. For example, getting the HPV vaccine can protect you from certain types of the human papillomavirus (HPV) that can cause cancer. These cancers include cancers of the anus, cervix , penis, and throat .
• Disease Management:Reducing the severity of the disease while it is still present and improving your general condition. For example, if you have Type 1 diabetes, using insulin to control your blood sugar levels. Although diabetes is not yet completely curable, it is a disease that can be lived with by taking the right medication and regularly monitoring your blood sugar levels.
• Palliative care: Improving the quality of life for someone living with an illness or disability, and reducing symptoms and side effects of treatment. For example, if you are unable to get out of bed, a health care worker can help you avoid bed sores by turning you over, and you can feel comforted by the touch of another person. Palliative care cannot cure your condition or reduce the severity of your illness. However, it can make your life better than it would have been without it.

The difference between "Cure" and "Recovery"

Many people use the words 'cure' and 'recovery' interchangeably, because they both convey the idea of ​​getting better and are hopeful. However, recovery can occur without a complete cure. For example, someone with a substance use disorder may be in 'recovery'. This means that their health is improving and they are no longer using recreational drugs or alcohol. However, recovery does not mean that they will never have the desire to use those substances again. Rather, it means that they have chosen to commit to a life free of drugs forever.

The difference between "Cure" and "Remission"

Doctors who treat cancer, or oncologists, often measure the success of treatment by whether the cancer is in 'remission'. While 'cure' means that the disease has completely disappeared, 'remission' does not guarantee that. Remission can be complete or partial:

• Complete remission: Your doctor can't find any signs of cancer, and you have no symptoms. However, cancer cells may be hidden in the tissues, undetectable by tests or imaging. You may also be 100% cancer-free.
• Partial remission: You still have cancer cells in your body, but there are fewer than before. Tumors may have shrunk, or the number of cancer cells in your blood may have decreased.

Remission can be a bit confusing because it doesn't have a set time frame. Your cancer may have been in remission for the rest of your life. When you finally die, it may be from a cause unrelated to the cancer. Or, your cancer may have been in remission for weeks, months, or years before your doctor finds signs of cancer again. When this happens, your cancer has come back (recurred). A cancer that has come back may require new treatments, which can put the cancer back in remission. Knowing that your cancer is in remission is good news. But it can also be disappointing when you want reassurance that the cancer is gone for good.

Can cancer be cured?

The short answer is no. Cancer, at least not yet, cannot be completely cured. But the long answer is much more complicated. While cancer cannot be cured, treatments for some types of cancer can help to completely eliminate it from your body. This is the answer that most people want to know. Think about it this way. While the word “cancer” may sound like a single disease, it is not. There are more than 100 different types of cancer. They all have different ways of affecting your body, different degrees of severity, different treatments required, and different ways of responding to these treatments. One reason cancer treatment is so successful is that researchers have studied specific types of cancer and tailored treatments to them. As a result, people are now surviving cancers that would have been fatal just a few decades ago. Some of these cancers go into complete remission after treatment, never to return. Because of the success of these treatments, some oncologists are calling certain cancers 'curable' if they are treated at the right time (usually early, before the cancer has spread). In this case, 'curable' means that if you get treatment quickly and properly, your doctor can cure the cancer. Other oncologists never use the words 'cure' or 'curable' when talking about cancer treatment outcomes. Although the chance of the cancer coming back is low, there is no 100% guarantee that a cancer cell that was not found at one time will not cause cancer again in the future.

What cancers have the highest survival ("cure") rates?

Some oncologists may say that your cancer is 'cured' if you have been in remission for five years or more. They are more likely to use the word 'cured' if you have a cancer that is associated with a high five-year cancer survival rate.

What are Cancer Survival Rates?

Cancer survival rates are a measure of what percentage of people diagnosed with a particular type of cancer are still alive after a certain period of time (usually five years). The five-year mark is an important milestone because most cancers that come back do so within five years. Depending on your type of cancer, if the cancer hasn’t come back by then, there’s a good chance it won’t come back. One of the most important numbers oncologists use to predict the outcome of your treatment is the five-year relative survival rate. It tells you how many people with a particular type of cancer are alive five years after diagnosis, compared to people who don’t have the same type of cancer. While these numbers can’t predict your unique experience, they can give you a general idea of ​​what to expect based on the experiences of others. Many cancers that are detected and treated early have a five-year relative survival rate of more than 90%. This means that 90 out of 100 people will be alive at five years, compared to those who are not diagnosed with the cancer. Many people with these cancers, who are treated, live for a long time, often without any symptoms of cancer. Let's look at some of these types of cancer:

Breast Cancer

Breast cancer can develop in one breast (most often) or both breasts.

• Five-year relative survival rate: Approximately 99% of people with breast cancer that has not spread beyond the breast tissue are still alive after five years. Almost everyone with non-invasive or stage 0 breast cancer (Ductal Carcinoma In Situ) is still alive after five years. The situation is not so good for cancer that has spread.
• Why is the situation good? Breast cancer screenings can detect cancer early, so treatment can begin sooner. This increases the chances of staying cancer-free. Thanks to cancer research, scientists have developed treatments that target specific types of breast cancer and can eliminate them.

Cervical Cancer

Cervical cancer develops in your cervix, the canal that connects your vagina and uterus.

• Five-year relative survival rate: Approximately 92% of people with cervical cancer that has not spread beyond the cervix or uterus are still alive after five years. Survival rates are also high after treatment for cervical dysplasia, an abnormal growth of cells that can develop into cervical cancer. Cervical cancer that has spread to lymph nodes or other parts of the body is much more difficult to treat.
• Why is the situation good?Cervical cancer grows slowly. Regular Pap smears can help detect cancer at an early stage, when treatment is most effective.

Hodgkin Lymphoma

Hodgkin lymphoma is a type of cancer that develops in white blood cells called lymphocytes.

• Five-year relative survival rate: Approximately 92% of people with non-Hodgkin lymphoma that has not spread to major organs, the bone marrow, or lymph nodes above and below the diaphragm are still alive after five years.
• Why is the outlook good? Hodgkin lymphoma responds well to cancer treatments such as radiation therapy and chemotherapy.

Melanoma

Melanoma is a type of skin cancer.

• Five-year relative survival rate: Approximately 99% of people with melanoma that has not spread beyond the surface of the skin are still alive after five years. The situation is worse if the cancer has spread to the layers beneath.
• Why is the situation good? Skin changes are easier to see and catch early. Surgery often removes melanoma, which develops in the top layer of the skin. New advances in treatments such as targeted therapy and immunotherapy have made it possible to stay cancer-free for longer than 10 years.

Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer develops in your prostate gland.

• Five-year relative survival rate: Approximately 99% of men diagnosed with prostate cancer that has not spread outside the gland are still alive five years after diagnosis.
• Why is the outlook good? Prostate cancer grows slowly and is usually detected and treated early, before it spreads. It is very difficult to cure prostate cancer that has spread (metastasized).

Testicular Cancer

Testicular cancer develops in one testicle (most often) or both testicles.

• Five-year relative survival rate: Approximately 99% of people diagnosed with testicular cancer that has not spread outside the testicles are still alive five years after diagnosis. Testicular cancer treatments are very effective, and most people (73%) with metastatic cancer are still alive five years after diagnosis.
• Why is the situation good? Surgery to remove the cancerous testicle often cures the cancer. This cancer also responds well to chemotherapy.

Thyroid Cancer

Thyroid cancer develops in your thyroid gland, a butterfly-shaped gland at the base of your neck.

• Five-year relative survival rate: Almost everyone with thyroid cancer that has not spread beyond the thyroid gland is still alive after five years. The prognosis is worse for a rare type of thyroid cancer called anaplastic thyroid cancer.
• Why is the prognosis good? This type of cancer grows slowly. Surgery to remove the thyroid gland often eliminates the cancer.

When your doctor uses terms like 'cure', 'treatment outcomes', 'survival rates', or 'remission', ask for more details. Each of these terms conveys important information that will help you understand your diagnosis and plan for the future. It is important that you and your doctor agree on the goals of your treatment.

The last thing most people want when trying to figure out what a diagnosis means for their life is to get bogged down in language. Unfortunately, words like "cure," especially when it comes to diagnoses like cancer, can be complicated. If you have cancer, your doctor may think twice about using the word "cure," even if you're cancer-free and the chances of it coming back are low.

A final take-home message

Don't panic when you find out that your condition is incurable. Instead, ask questions based on what's important to you. You might ask:

• "What treatments are available to relieve the symptoms of my illness?"
• "Will the treatments help me get back to my normal activities?"
• "What habits can I develop to stay healthy?"

Get the answers you need to put your mind at ease. Remember, even with an incurable condition, you can maintain a good quality of life with good management and palliative care.

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