139 AFTER /// CHAPTER 89 What if Cancer Returns? For many of you, living with the worry that your cancer will return can be one of the hardest things.While the doctors will give you the very best treatment, there is a small chance that cancer will come back. It is important to get as much information as possible and talk over your particular case. Why does cancer return? A returning cancer normally starts with cancer cells that the first treatment didn't fully remove or destroy. This doesn't mean that the treatment you received was wrong or that you have done anything wrong. It simply means that a small number of cancer cells survived the treatment. This is known as relapse. It is also possible to develop a completely new cancer that has nothing to do with your original cancer. But this doesn't happen very often. Where does the cancer return? When cancer comes back, it doesn't always show up in the same part of the body. Cancer can return in the: » Primary site: When the cancer is in the same place as the original cancer, or very close by. » Region of the primary site: When tumors grow in lymph nodes or tissues near the place of the original cancer. » Secondary site or " metastasized " : When the cancer has spread to other areas in the body.https://fwaya.org/