When does the "Cancerversary" year start?

kber

Date of Diagnosis?

Date of "no residual cancer" pathology results?

If you say you are "a one year survivor" or "20 year survivor", when did the clock start ticking?

Meow13

I think it is what you want to go on, I have mine the date my tumors were surgically removed.

Lucy55

The date of surgery is when I count mine from too ..

kber

I had neoadjuvant chemo, so no surgery until 6+ months after diagnosis. Plus I achieved a path Complete Response (yay!) so technically I had "no residual cancer" going into surgery, but we didn't know it until after the surgery path report.

It would seem like there would be some "official' guidance, but I can't find anything easily on line.

Meow13

That must be a relief, I also had a mastectomy and the pathology results really eased my mind. I know it can't tell you anything about cancer cells that may have passed through lymph nodes but I like the odds that are actually in my favor of never seeing this cancer again.

ksusan

My MO counts from surgery (chemo was afterward) and she's my hero, so I do what she does.

Runrcrb

my oncologist counts from diagnosis

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Interesting question. I also believe that the account starts on dx day since the treatments have different durations and, sometimes, there is no way of knowing if they are preventive or curative (adjuvant chemo, rads... How can we know if they really took care of a traveling cell?) The same applies to Herceptin and Tamoxifen... 🤔🤔🤔

Boston12

My RO says the date of diagnosis.

kber

Thanks for all the answers! Really appreciated

Ingerp

Really—whatever works for you. I guess I consider date of dx mine—the day I found out I had cancer. I remember that and my last days of chemo and Herceptin. I wouldn’t mind if they all faded in my memory.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Today is my first cancervery, I guess, since 1 year ago I received the result of my biopsy ... I'm still in active treatment (rads)... I didn't get the "Ned" yet so I don't know if I can call myself a survivor

MountainMia

I think for statistical purposes (the research databases) they use date of diagnosis.

Yndorian, I just looked up the word "survivor." One of the definitions given is "a person who copes well with difficulties in their life." YES. You are a survivor.

Togethertolearn

Mine is today. One year from diagnosis.