Where Cancer Can Return

Doctors define recurrent cancers by where they develop. The different types of recurrence are:

• Local recurrence. This means that the cancer is in the same place as the original cancer or is very close to it.
• Regional recurrence. This is when tumors grow in lymph nodes or tissues near the place of the original cancer.
• Distant recurrence. In these cases, the cancer has spread (metastasized) to organs or tissues far from the place of the original cancer.

Local cancer may be easier to treat than regional or distant cancer. But this can be different for each patient. Talk with your doctor about your options