Recurring cancer, also referred to as recurrent cancer or a recurrence, is cancer that comes back after a length of time during which it could no longer be detected following treatment. The cancer may come back in the same place as the original tumor, or it may spread to another part of the body.
Treatment for recurrent cancer depends on the location in which the cancer reappears, the treatment regimen that has already been used to treat the original cancer as well as the size of the new tumor.
Treatment for recurring cancer may include one or more of the following options:
- Surgery
- The type of surgery performed to treat the recurrent cancer will depend on the location where the cancer has reappeared.
- Radiation Therapy
- Radiation therapy is the use of high-energy rays to kill the cancerous cells. It can be given externally, meaning the radiation stems from a large machine, or internally, where the radiation is placed directly into the body in the area of the tumor. Radiation is usually given to try to shrink the size of the tumor and/or to help alleviate pain associated with the recurrence.
- Chemotherapy
- Given intravenously and by pill, chemotherapy works to kill the rapidly dividing cancer cells. Since chemotherapy is not selective in killing just the cancer cells, it can cause several debilitating side effects including hair loss and nausea.
- Hormone Therapy
- In certain cancers male and female reproductive hormones such as estrogen and androgen fuel the growth and spread of the cancer. Hormone therapies block the activation of these particular hormones to try to stop the growth of the cancer.
- Targeted Therapy
- Innovative research over the past decade has yielded a better understanding of how certain genes or proteins stimulate the growth of certain cancers. Targeted therapies are designed to attack or interfere with specific genes or cells that have been shown to help with the growth of certain cancers.
- Immunotherapy
- This type of treatment uses the body’s own immune system to attack the cancer cells that have come back despite previous treatment.
- Bone Marrow or Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplant
- High doses of chemotherapy or radiation are given to destroy bone marrow cells (where blood cells develop) and then are replaced with healthy stem cells from the bone marrow or blood of a the patient or a donor. These stem cells form new blood cells.
- Bisphosphonates
- In recurring cancer, it is not unusual for the cancer to spread to the bones. Therapies called bisphosphonates, which are given intravenously, along with calcium and Vitamin D are given to help prevent bone fractures by strengthening the bone affected by the recurrence of the cancer.
