Cancer Remission Vs Cancer-Free: Understand The Difference

By Vanshika Gaur
15 Jan 2025, 15:34 IST

Catherine Elizabeth Middleton (Kate), Princess of Wales, shared that she is in remission from cancer. She was diagnosed with Cancer in March 2024. What does Remission mean and what is the difference between cancer remission and cancer-free? Tap to find out.

What is Remission?

Remission refers to a temporary reduction or disappearance of symptoms or pain from a disease, with little to no signs of the disease present.

Remission in Cancer

During remission, the patients show little to no symptoms of cancer, and any cancer-related pain is reduced.

Cancer Remission Vs Cancer-Free

Cancer Remission is the disappearance of symptoms or pain whereas cancer-free refers to successful completion of the treatment with no visible signs of cancer cells.

Types of Remission

Remission can be complete or partial. Partial remission means reduced symptoms and a break from treatment, as long as the disease doesn’t return, while complete remission shows no signs of the disease.

How to achieve remission?

According to Dr. Harshit Shah, Associate Surgical Oncologist at Fortis Hospital in Kalyan, to achieve remission, consult your doctor to create a personalised treatment plan based on your cancer type and stage.

Treatment plans

Treatments such as chemotherapy, radiation therapy, surgeries, immunotherapy, and other therapies can help achieve remission.

Healthy Diet

Following a healthy diet along with a healthy lifestyle can help support overall growth and recovery.

Information Credits

This information is sourced from the trusted website PubMed.