Using Proper Terminology When a Patient Shows No Evidence of Disease

When is it safe to tell a patient with cancer that they are cured of their disease? The short answer is: never. Decades ago, it was common for oncology specialists to tell a patient they were cured of their cancer after they had completed their active treatment. It wasn’t wise then, and definitely is not wise today.

We approach patient care with the intent that our patients will one day become rid of their cancer, but cure is not a word that should be in our medical vocabulary. Even when we receive our patients’ scans and see no evidence of disease (NED), we don’t tell them that they are cured of their cancer.

Why not? Aren’t they cured? We know from science that it is far better to say that we believe the patient is cancer-free than to say they have been cured of their cancer, as cured implies forever, while cancer-free implies at this time.

By avoiding using the term cured, we are not creating any additional anxiety for the patient. No matter the circumstances, most patients will continue to fear recurrence of their disease for the rest of their lives, to some degree. We need them to continue their due diligence after becoming cancer-free by monitoring their own health, living a healthy lifestyle, and not being fooled into a false sense of security. Using the term “cured” may allow them to feel more lax about maintaining their health.  

June is National Cancer Survivor Month and I want to take this time to remind all those in the oncology profession to use “cancer-free” to describe patients with metastatic disease whose routine diagnostic scan shows NED. Another reminder: don’t forget to celebrate with them, because this is as good as it can ever be!

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