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Jim Kelly's latest cancer scan...ALL CLEAR!


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2 hours ago, Marv's Neighbor said:

That's great, I hope they're right.  I've heard this before where people are given the all clear, and somehow it does come back.  Best of luck to Jim and his family.

The problem is that cancer can exist at a microscopic level.  I was treated for lung cancer two years ago.  The followup testing consists of a CT scan.  That is probably the same diagnostic tool that was used on Kelly.  A CT scan can detect fairly small cancerous sites in the body, but not on a microscopic level.  He will continue to have scans for at least a few years.  Because those secondary microscopic cancer sites will tend to grow, if they exist, they will eventually show up.  The later that Kelly's scans continue to be negative the less likely a relapse is.  My wife is a breast cancer survivor.  Her cancer was 10 years ago.  She still has a blood test twice a year (I think it tests for cancer antibodies).  We're pretty confident now that she is cured, but the fact that that her oncologist continues to see her suggests they can't yet rule out the possibility of a tiny lump of cancer cells lying dormant somewhere.

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