We have to go by probabilities that are based on survival studies of thousands of patients. Disease-free survival is really the best measure of treatment effectiveness that we have. The five-year survival rate has become the benchmark for the successful treatment of cancer. The odds that a cancer won't recur also depend on such things as the type of cancer, its extent, when it was diagnosed, and how it is treated. Five-year survival rates differ for different cancers.
Skin cancers are likely to recur within three years after treatment.
Most leukemias recur within two years. Breast cancer is a slow-growing tumor, said Balcerzak. But five-year survival rates weren't on Rosenbaum's mind when he returned to his doctor after 33 radiation treatments. But he doesn't do that. Rosenbaum was told he'd have to be re-examined monthly for two years, then every three months for life.