The short answer
Doctors often say 'remission' rather than 'cured' because cancer cells can remain in the body for years after treatment. NCI says some doctors may say cured after five years or more in complete remission.
Doctors often say 'remission' instead of 'cured' to stay accurate.
Remission means signs of cancer have decreased or disappeared.
Some cancer cells can remain in the body for many years after treatment.
Your doctor will keep monitoring you for many years after treatment.
Watch: Can cancer be cured?
46 sec · Captioned · Many cancers can be cured — and why doctors carefully say 'remission'.
Also on YouTube.
Educational only — this video explains general report language and is not medical advice. Only your care team can say what a result means for you.
Open this video's own page →Choose how you want to read this
The whole article, with every detail and caution.
This page is for anyone with cancer, or who loves someone with cancer, who wants to know what "cured" really means. It explains cure, remission, and what treatment can do when a cure is not possible.
A careful answer
Some people are told they are cured. But you will often hear doctors use the word "remission" instead of "cured," and there is a good reason for that care.
Cure versus remission
A cure means there is no trace of cancer and it is not expected to come back. The trouble is that it can be hard to prove that every single cancer cell is gone. So doctors often say "remission" or "no evidence of disease," which describe exactly what the tests can show right now.
What remission means
Remission means the signs of cancer have decreased or disappeared. NCI says a complete remission means all signs and symptoms of cancer have disappeared. Even so, some cancer cells can remain in the body for many years after treatment.
If a complete remission holds for five years or more, some doctors will call that a cure. Because cancer cells can stay in the body for years, NCI says your doctor will monitor you for many years and do tests to look for signs of the cancer's return.
When cure is not the goal
Not every cancer can be cured. Ask your team what treatment can do for you, such as controlling the disease or easing symptoms. The realistic goal is different for each person, so ask your team what it is for you.
Sources
Common questions
Why do doctors avoid the word 'cured'?
Because it can be hard to prove that every cancer cell is gone. Doctors often use 'remission' or 'no evidence of disease,' which describe what tests can actually show.
What is remission?
Remission means the signs and symptoms of cancer have gone down or disappeared. A complete remission means all signs and symptoms have disappeared, but some cancer cells can remain in the body for many years.
Does remission mean the cancer is gone forever?
Not always. Cancer can return, so your doctor will monitor you for many years and do tests to look for signs of its return.
Can cancer that can't be cured still be treated?
Ask your care team what treatment can do for you, and what the goal of treatment is in your case.
Talk with a trained specialist or navigator
Cancer Explained provides educational guidance, but does not replace trained specialists, social workers, or your medical team.
Talk to a trained cancer information specialist
Free, confidential assistance from NCI Cancer Information Service via phone, chat, or email.
Contact your oncology team
Locate after-hours contact numbers, portal messages, or urgent triage phone lines.
Find a patient navigator
Get one-on-one help with appointments, logistics, translation, and care coordination.
Find a genetic counselor
Discuss inherited mutation risk, family history, and genetic testing options.
Find an oncology social worker
Access emotional counseling, family support groups, and mental health resources.
Find a financial navigator
Locate copay assistance foundations, grant programs, and lodging/travel support.
Find a clinical-trial specialist
Search matching studies and speak with NCI trial information specialists.
Get urgent help
Fever of 100.4°F (38°C) or higher during chemo, severe pain, or trouble breathing: call your cancer care team right away, day or night. Call 911 for an emergency.
Plain-language explanation of the published sources cited on this page. AI-assisted, source-checked, not clinician-reviewed.
Written by: Cancer ExplainedSources last checked: 2026-08-11 what this meansLast updated: 2026-10-16Next planned review: 2028-07-14
Review details and limits
Cancer Explained does not originate medical claims. Every page restates guidance already published by the National Cancer Institute, the CDC, the USPSTF and the FDA, in plain language, with the source cited so you can check the original yourself. AI does the translating and organizing; automated checks test claims, citations, clarity and safety before anything publishes, and this is translation and navigation, not clinical judgment. Nothing here is personal medical advice, and no page can account for your particular situation.
Editorial status — Source checked. This page was written with AI assistance and then compared with the sources listed on it, looking for statements those sources do not back up. That check is not a sentence-by-sentence record and can miss errors. It is not a medical review, and it does not confirm the page is complete or right for your situation.
General education. Low-risk educational or organizational content. Medical facts are cited to authoritative sources.
Human medical review: not completed. Pages here are not signed off by a clinician before they publish. That is not an oversight we are quietly working around: we restate published guidance and cite it, so the authority belongs to the source rather than to us, and every page names where its claims come from — you can verify us instead of trusting us. Where a volunteer clinician has reviewed a page, their name and credentials appear on it; where no name appears, no clinician has checked it. We are glad to have reviewers and are recruiting them, and we do not hold pages back waiting for one. Use this site to understand your situation and to ask better questions of the people treating you.
Words to know
Tap any term to see what it means.
Knowledge check
0 of 5 answered
This self-assessment checks understanding of educational content only. It is not medical advice.
How this page was created
Cancer Explained does not originate medical claims. Every page restates guidance already published by the National Cancer Institute, the CDC, the USPSTF and the FDA, in plain language, with the source cited so you can check the original yourself. AI does the translating and organizing; automated checks test claims, citations, clarity and safety before anything publishes, and this is translation and navigation, not clinical judgment. Nothing here is personal medical advice, and no page can account for your particular situation.
Editorial status: Source checked — This page was written with AI assistance and then compared with the sources listed on it, looking for statements those sources do not back up. That check is not a sentence-by-sentence record and can miss errors. It is not a medical review, and it does not confirm the page is complete or right for your situation.
Human medical review: not completed. Pages here are not signed off by a clinician before they publish. That is not an oversight we are quietly working around: we restate published guidance and cite it, so the authority belongs to the source rather than to us, and every page names where its claims come from — you can verify us instead of trusting us. Where a volunteer clinician has reviewed a page, their name and credentials appear on it; where no name appears, no clinician has checked it. We are glad to have reviewers and are recruiting them, and we do not hold pages back waiting for one. Use this site to understand your situation and to ask better questions of the people treating you.
Read more about our editorial process, our use of AI, and our corrections policy.
Spotted a problem? Report an error — a factual mistake, broken or outdated source, confusing wording, or anything that seems unsafe. Please do not include names, medical record numbers, dates of birth, addresses, or other identifying medical information in your report.
After using this page, do you understand what to do next?
Anonymous — we only record the answer, never who gave it.