ASK CALEY ... VIDEO & TRANSCRIPT
Does complete metabolic response mean NED or remission?
A question from the community ... answered by Caley Ashpole, who is living with metastatic breast cancer.
Published 24 October 2026 ... personal experience and general education.
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Full transcript
Someone asked if complete metabolic response is the same as NED, no evidence of disease, or is it the same as remission?
My name is Caley Ashpole and I'm currently living with stage four metastatic HER2 positive breast cancer.
They are related terms, but they don't mean the same thing.
Complete metabolic response is in regards to a PET scan result.
The scan no longer shows abnormal activity in regards to the cancer.
NED means no evidence of disease on the test being used.
Remission means reduction or disappearance of signs of cancer and it can be partial or complete.
These terms can overlap, but your oncology team interprets them alongside your scans and results.
A complete metabolic response is an encouraging result, but it doesn't prove that every cancer cell has gone or it's disappeared.
Or that I'm cured.
If you have any other questions that you'd like to ask someone that's living with stage four cancer, please feel free to ask me and I will answer as best I can.
Thank you.