There are effective treatments for many stage 3 cancers. Some stage 3 cancers can be successfully treated, but they are more likely to return after going away.
Does cancer always come back? While cancer doesn't always return, recurrence is common for some hard-to-treat forms of cancer. These recurrences usually follow certain patterns that patients may be aware of in order to catch things as early as possible. There's no way to guarantee that cancer won't return.
This can happen because the treatment didn't destroy all the cancer cells. Chemotherapy drugs kill cancer cells by attacking cells that are in the process of doubling to form 2 new cells. But not all the cells in a cancer divide at the same time. Normal cells go into a long rest period between divisions.
While doctors consider stage 3 a more advanced form of cancer, treatment may remove all the cancer cells and put the disease into remission.
There are effective treatments for many stage 3 cancers. Some stage 3 cancers can be successfully treated, but they are more likely to return after going away.
The current 5-year survival rates for stage 3 breast cancer are 86% for females and 83% for males. However, many factors can influence a person's life expectancy after a breast cancer diagnosis. A doctor can provide more detailed, personalized information.
Breast cancer: Women with breast cancer have an overall 30% chance of recurrence. Many cases happen within five years of completing the initial treatment. Cervical cancer: Of those with invasive cervical cancer, an estimated 35% will have a recurrence.
Chemotherapyis a common treatment for stage III breast cancer. Sometimes people have chemo before surgery to shrink a tumor and make it easier to remove. It can help destroy cancer cells that remain after surgery. In cases where surgery isn't an option, chemotherapy may be the main treatment.
Many patients with stage 3 cancer live for years.
One to three percent of survivors develop a second cancer different from the originally treated cancer. The level of risk is small, and greater numbers of survivors are living longer due to improvements in treatment. However, even thinking about the possibility of having a second cancer can be stressful.
Common signs of active cancer include:
Pain. Skin changes. Change in bowl habits or bladder function. Sores that do not heal.
Why do some cancers come back? Cancers come back when small numbers of cancer cells can remain in the body after treatment. These cells are too small to find with current tests. Over time, they can multiply and grow enough to cause symptoms or be found by testing.
Even if a cancer cannot be considered 100% eradicated today, many can be effectively "cured" if detected early. Stage 0 cancers such as ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) are, in theory, cancers that can be cured completely.
Sometimes, cancer treatment can go on for an extended period of time. Many people receive cancer treatment for months, years, or even the rest of their lives.
Some cancers come back only once, while others reappear two or three times. But some recurrent cancers might never go away or be cured. This sounds scary, but many people can live months or years with the right treatment. For them, the cancer becomes more like a chronic illness, such as diabetes or heart disease.
Stage 3 usually means the cancer is larger. It may have started to spread into surrounding tissues and there are cancer cells in the lymph nodes nearby.
Palliative care and managing symptoms
A person with stage 3 lung cancer may experience pain or discomfort that stems from their cancer or the treatment they are receiving. Some people may also experience depression and anxiety.
Which Type of Cancer Spreads the Fastest? The fastest-moving cancers are pancreatic, brain, esophageal, liver, and skin. Pancreatic cancer is one of the most dangerous types of cancer because it's fast-moving and there's no method of early detection.
Cancer that cannot be cured and leads to death. Also called end-stage cancer.