Recurrent cancer is cancer that has come back after a person has had treatment and was thought to be cancer-free. A recurrence can happen soon after initial treatment is finished or months or years later. That's why careful follow-up is important.

Cancer may come back in the same organ. (This is called local recurrence.) Or it may come back in nearby tissues or lymph nodes. (This is called regional recurrence.) It may also come back in a different part of the body from where it first occurred. (This is called distant recurrence, or metastatic cancer).