The Iceberg

This is how remission was described to me. What the doctors can see in the blood work is like the what you can see of an iceberg. When they can't see the top anymore it is called in remission or NED (no evidence of disease).....not cured. Remission is a complete or partial elimination of the visible signs and symptoms of cancer. What they can't see in the blood work is what is going on at the molecular level or the trace amounts of cancer that could still be in the body. This is called minimal residual disease (MDR). That is the bottom of the iceberg that is massive and hiding in plain sight below the surface. It was that part of the iceberg that took down the unsinkable Titanic. This is why a patient relapses and why it takes 5-10 years of remission or NED to be considered cured. 


We have to be diligent in our quest for a cure and better treatments. I encourage you to invest in research. Know where your donation is going and how it will be used.