iStock/ThinkstockBy DR. JENNIFER ASHTON, ABC News Senior Medical Contributor

Shannen Doherty recently took to Instagram to publicly chronicle her battle with breast cancer, posting recently that she felt a sense a relief to hear she was finally in remission, adding, “now more waiting.”

So what happens after treatment for cancer? What does it mean to be in remission?

First of, in medicine we tend to avoid the word remission, choosing instead to say NED — or no evidence of disease. What that means is that there are no obvious signs or symptoms of that cancer, but unfortunately it doesn’t mean there’s no microscopic cancer.

Generally, follow up will include various imaging tests like CT scans, mammograms or a PET scan, along with some blood work.

It’s important to remember to care for the spirit as well as the body when considering any person battling or living with cancer.

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