草莓影视

Living with cancer is different than living after cancer. Living with cancer long-term has become more common due to advances in cancer treatment that have improved survival rates. But living with cancer can also bring forth different challenges.

What is chronic cancer?

Cancer isn’t always a one-time event. Sometimes, cancer never completely goes away and is closely watched and treated. In these cases, cancer is a chronic (ongoing) illness, much like diabetes or heart disease. This is often the case with certain cancer types, such as ovarian cancer, chronic leukemias, and some lymphomas. Sometimes, cancers that have spread or have come back in other parts of the body, like metastatic breast or prostate cancer, also become chronic cancers.

 Your cancer care team will use different terms to describe chronic cancers.

Controlled

Your doctor may use the term controlled if tests or scans show that your cancer is not changing over time. You may also hear that your cancer is stable.

Your cancer may be controlled with treatment. Sometimes, when treatment shrinks your cancer, you can take a break until your cancer starts to grow again. Cancers like this are watched closely to be sure that they don’t start growing. Most chronic cancers can’t be cured, but some can be controlled for months or even years.

Remission

There’s always a chance that cancer will go into remission. There are different kinds of remission:

• A complete response or complete remission is when a treatment completely gets rid of all tumors that could be measured or seen on a test.
• A partial response or partial remission means the cancer shrank some, but it didn’t go away. The depth of response can vary based on cancer type and treatment given.

Here, when we refer to remission, it will generally mean partial remission. Remission can last for week, months, or years but it’s not the same thing as a cure.

Progression and recurrence

Cancer progression is when your cancer grows, spreads, or gets worse. You may also hear that you are no longer in remission. In the case of chronic cancers, recurrence and progression usually mean the same thing.

Progression and recurrence can occur when treatment doesn’t kill all the cancer cells. These cancer cells can then grow and divide enough to show up on tests again.

Progression may be a sign that you need to start treatment again to control your cancer. If your cancer progresses during or right after treatment, you may need a different treatment.

Some cancers, like ovarian cancer, have a natural pattern of recurrence and remission. Often, this repeating cycle of growing, shrinking, and stabilizing can mean survival for many years. During this time, treatment can be used to control the cancer, help relieve symptoms, and help you live longer.

How is chronic cancer treated?

Most people want to do anything possible to treat cancer. Your cancer care team will talk to you about your treatment options. You may want to get a second opinion or get treated at a comprehensive cancer center that has more experience with your type of cancer. There may be clinical trials available, too.

Treatment for chronic cancer may or may not be the same as what was used the first time. Treatment decisions are based on the type of disease, location of the cancer, amount of cancer, extent of spread, your overall health, and your personal wishes.

Treatment options

Treatment for chronic cancer may include chemotherapy (chemo), immunotherapy, targeted therapy, or hormone therapy.

Talk with your cancer care team about possible treatment options and what to expect with each treatment. Sometimes, your doctor won’t use a certain treatment due to side effect risks or past use. For example, some chemotherapies can cause heart or nerve problems that could lead to permanent damage. Once you know your options, you can talk with your loved ones and choose the best option for you.

Chemo

If you get chemo, you are usually treated in 1 of 2 ways:

• Chemo is given on a regular schedule to keep the cancer under control. This is also called maintenance chemo. This may help stop spread and prolong survival.
• Chemo may only be given when the cancer becomes active again. The cancer is watched closely with imaging tests and blood tests; chemo is started when things change.

Over time, cancer cells can become resistant to chemo. Tumors that come back don’t always respond to treatment like the first ones did. If this happens, another treatment is usually chosen to help kill the cancer cells in a different way.

How long can treatment go on?

There’s no way to give an exact time limit as to how long treatment can go on. The answer depends entirely on your situation and many factors, such as:

• The type of cancer you have
• The treatment schedule or plan
• The length of time between cancer recurrences
• The aggressiveness of the cancer cell type
• Your age
• Your overall health
• How well you tolerate treatment
• How well the cancer responds to treatment
• The types of treatment you get

Because there are no guarantees that you can hold on to, it can be hard to cope with chronic cancer. Talk to your cancer care team about any questions or concerns you have. They know your situation best and may be able to give you some idea of what to expect.

How do I know if I should keep getting treatment?

Deciding to continue treatment is a personal choice and depends on many factors. You can also ask your cancer care team for a referral to palliative care to help you make treatment decisions.

Do the benefits outweigh the side effects?

It’s possible that getting cancer treatment helps you feel better and stronger. It may also help control the cancer so you can live longer.

But sometimes, getting treatment may make you feel worse. If you have had many different treatments that didn’t stop your cancer from growing, your cancer may have become resistant to treatment. At this time, you might want to weigh the possible limited benefit of a new treatment against the possible downsides, including the stress of getting treatment and the side effects that go with it.

Everyone has a different way of looking at this. Talk to your cancer care team about what you can expect from treatment. You may also want to talk to your loved ones about continuing treatment. But keep in mind, the final decision is yours.

Stopping treatment

If treatment can no longer control your cancer or you feel the benefits no longer outweigh the side effects and risks, you may choose to focus on quality of life and managing symptoms instead of treating your cancer. If so, your cancer care team can refer you to hospice care.

Living with uncertainty

The first few months of cancer treatment are a time of change. But when you’re living with cancer that doesn’t go away, you may feel like you’re stuck in this change. You don’t know what to expect or what’s going to happen next.

Living with cancer is not so much about “getting back to normal” as it is learning what’s normal for you now. People often say that life has new meaning or that they look at things differently now.

Your new “normal” may include making changes in:

• The things you do
• Your sources of support
• Your work and vacation schedule to add in cancer treatments
• Your family routine
• The way you eat

Treatment may become part of your everyday life, as it can continue the rest of your life. The repeated cycles of the cancer going away and coming back can be draining and daunting. You may continue to question if continuing to treat your cancer is the right thing to do. Your choice to continue treatment is personal and based on your needs, wishes, and abilities. There’s no right or wrong decision on how to handle this phase of the illness.

Hope

Having a cancer that can’t be cured doesn’t put you beyond hope or help. If your cancer has already spread, the hope may be that the cancer can be stopped or slowed down. Some people have cancer that can be controlled with treatment, and they can live for a long time. There’s hope for time, being with loved ones, and finishing important tasks.

If your treatment stops working, the hope may change again. It may be hope for time to plan the end of your life or to tell your loved ones what they have meant to you. This can ease the burden of uncertainty your loved ones may have about what to do and can bring deep closeness to the people you love.

Whatever your hope is, find the support and help you need to try and make it happen.

Dealing with depression and grief

It’s normal to feel sad when you find out that your cancer can’t be cured – even if you know that there’s a good chance you can live a long time with cancer. You may find yourself grieving the loss of what you thought would be your future.

Grief can affect a person physically, emotionally, and mentally. It can interfere with everyday activities. It takes time and energy to adjust to these major changes in your life.

However, if you are emotionally upset for a long time and have trouble with day-to-day activities, you may have depression or severe anxiety that needs medical attention. 

If you are clinically depressed or anxious, know that:

• Depression can often be treated in many ways, including medicine, psychotherapy, or both. Treatment usually works well.
• Improving your physical symptoms and taking action will probably help make your mood better.

Many people find it helps to have people they can talk to about all these things. If no one comes to mind, you might want to think about finding a counselor or support group.

Getting support

Support in any form allows you to talk about your feelings and develop coping skills. Studies have shown that many people who take part in support groups have a better quality of life, including better sleep and appetite.

Counseling

You may prefer a personal connection with a counselor who can give you one-on-one attention and encouragement. It’s important to find a counselor with training and experience in taking care of people with cancer. Your cancer care team may be able to give you names of counselors in your area. Another resource for finding a counselor is . They offer ideas on how to find a counselor and things to consider when choosing one.

Support groups

A support group can be a powerful tool for both patients and families. Talking with others who are in situations like yours can help ease loneliness. Others who have had the same experiences may also share ideas that might help you. Learn more about sources of support in your area.

 There are different types of cancer support groups. Support groups can be:

• Formal and focus on learning about cancer or dealing with feelings
• Informal and social
• Made up of people with cancer or caregivers only. Sometimes, they may include spouses, family, or friends.
• Different in the number of times they meet or how long they meet
• Closed membership or drop-in

Make sure that you get information about any support group you’re thinking about joining. Try to join one that has people with cancer in all phases of treatment, including those with cancer that can’t be cured. You may want to talk to the facilitator or group leader to find this information.

Online support groups may be another option. Our is just one example. There are many other reputable online communities that you can join, too.

Faith and spirituality

Faith and spirituality are important to many people. Sometimes, being diagnosed with cancer or living with cancer may prompt you to think about your beliefs or your faith.

• If you struggle to find meaning in your life or make peace with yourself, you may wish to spend time with a respected counselor or member of the clergy who can help you with this important work.
• If you are a religious or spiritual person, a minister, rabbi, other leader of your faith, or a trained pastoral counselor can help you identify your spiritual needs and find spiritual support.

More resources

Find resources below for caregivers, family members, health insurance, and for financial support. You can also call us at 1-800-227-2345 for more information.