# What is Remission vs. cure?

Source: https://oncologyistanbul.com/glossary/remission-vs-cure

> Remission means signs and symptoms of cancer have decreased or disappeared; cure means there's no expectation the cancer will ever return — the two are not the same claim.

Remission describes a state where the signs and symptoms of cancer have partly (partial remission) or completely (complete remission) decreased or disappeared, based on the tests available at the time. Cure is a stronger, retrospective claim usually only made after enough time has passed without recurrence that a return becomes unlikely — the exact time frame varies by cancer type. A patient can be in complete remission for years before anyone describes them as cured, since remission is a present-tense finding and cure is a judgment made from hindsight.

## Related
- [Palliative vs. curative treatment](https://oncologyistanbul.com/glossary/palliative-vs-curative-treatment)

Full glossary: https://oncologyistanbul.com/glossary