When doctors talk about a cancer 'going into remission' they mean that it is getting better.

A remission may be either partial, or complete.

In a partial remission there may be signs that the cancer has reduced in size, or that symptoms caused by the condition (such as breathlessness, cough, or chest pain in lung cancers) have improved. But despite this improvement x-rays, scans, or other tests will show that the cancer is still there.

In a complete remission all traces of the cancer disappear - x-rays and scans go back to normal, and troublesome symptoms go away. Despite this improvement a complete remission is not the same as a cure. This is because there may still be cancer cells present that do not show up on any of the tests, and which are too small to cause any symptoms. These may then grow later and form a recurrence of the cancer.

So although going into a complete remission may be the first sign of a cure this isn't always the case - but it is certainly good news.