The Threat of Recurrence: Snow, Edwards Battle Cancer Again

March 27, 2007— -- "Your cancer is back."

These four words are perhaps the most dreaded that any cancer survivor can hear.

And in less than a week, two prominent figures on the national political scene received this news from their doctors.

Thursday, Elizabeth Edwards, 57, wife of Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards, announced that the breast cancer she'd been treated for in 2004 had returned, this time in her bone.

And Tuesday, White House press secretary Tony Snow, 51, revealed that his colon cancer, which he was diagnosed with in 2005, had recurred and spread to his liver.

"The news that Tony Snow has suffered a recurrence of colon cancer, coming on the heels of Elizabeth Edwards' announcement last week that her breast cancer has returned, points to why recurrence is such a worrisome issue for cancer patients," said Dr. Harmon Eyre, chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society in a statement Tuesday.

"Cancer recurrence is a very real possibility that patients do need to be aware of."

In his last bout with cancer, Snow had his colon removed and went through a course of chemotherapy. Though the therapy was designed to eliminate the disease, a suspicious growth on his lower pelvis prompted removal and a biopsy early last week, which revealed the disease.

Snow's situation in some ways echoes that of Edwards, whose doctor found evidence of her recurring cancer while taking an X-ray of a fractured rib.

Like many other Americans who experience a cancer recurrence, Snow and Edwards face uncertain odds

Ultimately, the goal of any cancer treatment is to either remove or destroy all the cancer cells in the body. At the end of a successful treatment, a patient is considered to be in remission, which means that no remaining cancer cells can be detected in the body.

But while the first wave of surgery and chemotherapy may remove all evidence of cancer, microscopic cancer cells sometimes survive the treatment and remain undetected in the body. With time, these rogue cells can create new tumors of their own, leading to recurrence.

Depending on the type of cancer, recurrence can happen weeks, months, or even years after treatment of the original cancer.

Adding further mystery to the phenomenon of recurrence is the fact that it is nearly impossible to predict in any given case whether recurrence is likely or not.

"The earlier an initial cancer is caught, the less likely it will recur, but this is not an absolute," said Dr. Leonard Zwelling, vice president of research administration at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.