Question: Remission - Ned

Dan620
Dan620 Member Posts: 220
edited March 2014 in Lung Cancer #1
Can some one tell me what the difference is between remission and Ned? Thanks Dan

Comments

  • Glenna M
    Glenna M Member Posts: 1,576
    #2
    Good question
    I would love to know what the difference is also. My doctors, both rad and med onc, will not say NED, they just tell me I am in remission. After my last scan I asked my doctor if what they were (or weren't) seeing meant that it was gone and his response was "you can think that...for now". The last time I saw my med onc he said I wouldn't need to see him again "until" the cancer came back. NONE of my doctors have ever led me to believe that I will ever be "cancer free" but I'm enjoying my life now, 1 year post treatment,and feel great.

    A very dear friend of mine had his tonsils removed last year because of cancer and his doctors told him they were sure they would be able to cure him...last month he had his appendix removed (cancerous tumor) and now they are scheduling him for surgery to remove part of his colon - another cancerous tumor. If they meant they could cure him why is he getting cancer in other organs??? I'll take my remission over his cure any day.

    Is NED just a term the doctors use or does it just mean the same as remission??

    Great question Dan, hopefully someone will be able to explain it more clearly.

    Stay well,
    Glenna
  • don09
    don09 Member Posts: 108
    #3
    Glenna M said:

    Good question
    I would love to know what the difference is also. My doctors, both rad and med onc, will not say NED, they just tell me I am in remission. After my last scan I asked my doctor if what they were (or weren't) seeing meant that it was gone and his response was "you can think that...for now". The last time I saw my med onc he said I wouldn't need to see him again "until" the cancer came back. NONE of my doctors have ever led me to believe that I will ever be "cancer free" but I'm enjoying my life now, 1 year post treatment,and feel great.

    A very dear friend of mine had his tonsils removed last year because of cancer and his doctors told him they were sure they would be able to cure him...last month he had his appendix removed (cancerous tumor) and now they are scheduling him for surgery to remove part of his colon - another cancerous tumor. If they meant they could cure him why is he getting cancer in other organs??? I'll take my remission over his cure any day.

    Is NED just a term the doctors use or does it just mean the same as remission??

    Great question Dan, hopefully someone will be able to explain it more clearly.

    Stay well,
    Glenna

    NED
    Medical term meaning No Evidence of disease.
  • stayingcalm
    stayingcalm Member Posts: 650 Member
    #4
    Different docs, different talk
    Hi, Dan,
    I think it all depends on who you talk to. Remission, to me, has the connotation of something that went away with radiation and chemo, but probably will come back, while NED sounds more like it's gone for a lengthier period of time (or may not come back at all), as in surgery with clean margins. Some doctors use the words interchangeably. Here's a thread on another cancer site where I asked the very same question ;)
  • Glenna M
    Glenna M Member Posts: 1,576
    #5
    stayingcalm said:

    Different docs, different talk
    Hi, Dan,
    I think it all depends on who you talk to. Remission, to me, has the connotation of something that went away with radiation and chemo, but probably will come back, while NED sounds more like it's gone for a lengthier period of time (or may not come back at all), as in surgery with clean margins. Some doctors use the words interchangeably. Here's a thread on another cancer site where I asked the very same question ;)

    Thanks Deb
    Thanks for the link, I read all the responses to your question and am still a little confused...nothing unusual - lol

    I, like many others, took NED to mean cured and remission meant it was no longer growing and/or shrinking. As I said, none of my doctors have ever told me it was gone but I am now one year post treatment and feeling pretty good and I can accept that ;-)

    I think the only smart thing for me to do is wait until my next scan and ask my doctor exactly what he means when he says I'm still in remission and why he won't say NED.

    Thanks again for your help Deb, hope all is going well with you and that you are still feeling great.

    Stay well,
    Glenna
  • Dan620
    Dan620 Member Posts: 220
    #6
    Glenna M said:

    Thanks Deb
    Thanks for the link, I read all the responses to your question and am still a little confused...nothing unusual - lol

    I, like many others, took NED to mean cured and remission meant it was no longer growing and/or shrinking. As I said, none of my doctors have ever told me it was gone but I am now one year post treatment and feeling pretty good and I can accept that ;-)

    I think the only smart thing for me to do is wait until my next scan and ask my doctor exactly what he means when he says I'm still in remission and why he won't say NED.

    Thanks again for your help Deb, hope all is going well with you and that you are still feeling great.

    Stay well,
    Glenna

    Thank You!
    Thanks Deb, It looks like there is no clear cut answer, but im happy to be in remission, last treatment August 2008. Onc. Dr. says ct-scans are to catch it WHEN it comes back (not if) also thanks for the link. ... Dan
  • stayingcalm
    stayingcalm Member Posts: 650 Member
    #7
    Dan620 said:

    Thank You!
    Thanks Deb, It looks like there is no clear cut answer, but im happy to be in remission, last treatment August 2008. Onc. Dr. says ct-scans are to catch it WHEN it comes back (not if) also thanks for the link. ... Dan

    You're very welcome!
    Unfortunately, I've been cut off from that site because I spoke my mind too loudly about some alternative therapies, so I don't know how well I could recommend it ;-(
  • Skiffin16
    Skiffin16 Member Posts: 8,305 Member
    #8
    Sorry
    Didn't mean to post here....

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