The 5-year survival rate for NHL in the United States is 74%. The survival rates for NHL vary based on several factors. These include the stage and subtype of cancer, a person's age and general health, and how well the treatment plan works. For stage I NHL, the 5-year relative survival rate is more than 86%.
Overall, treatment for Hodgkin lymphoma is highly effective and most people with the condition are eventually cured.
In general, lymphoma is considered to be very treatable. However, each patient's outlook can vary based on several factors, most notably the type and severity of the diagnosis and how early the cancer was detected.
Aggressive (high-grade) lymphoma.
These types tend to grow and spread quickly. They usually need to be treated right away. Even though they grow quickly, these lymphomas often respond well to treatment. Some of them can be cured.
Hodgkin lymphoma is one of the most curable forms of cancer. After treatment is complete, your care team will develop a survivorship plan that minimizes long-term side effects of treatment. Those risks include infertility, secondary cancers or toxicities to vital organs such as the heart and lungs.
Burkitt lymphoma is considered the most aggressive form of lymphoma and is one of the fastest growing of all cancers. But it is very rare, accounting for about 2 percent of all lymphoma diagnoses.
Stage 4. Stage 4 is the most advanced stage of lymphoma. Lymphoma that has started in the lymph nodes and spread to at least one body organ outside the lymphatic system (for example, the lungs, liver, bone marrow or solid bones) is advanced lymphoma.
You should have an urgent referral if you have swollen lymph nodes and your GP can't explain the cause. Your GP will also take into account any other symptoms you might have such as: high temperatures (fevers) night sweats.
The first sign of Hodgkin lymphoma is often a swollen lymph node that appears without a known cause. The disease can spread to nearby lymph nodes. Later it may spread to the spleen, liver, bone marrow, or other organs.
The risk of developing non-Hodgkin lymphoma increases with age, and the disease is most common in people aged over 60 years. While the number of new cases of non-Hodgkin lymphoma appears to be increasing over time, the survival rate has improved, and is currently about 71 per cent after 5 years.
Low-grade NHL cannot usually be cured. It nearly always comes back or starts to grow again at some point after treatment. You can have further treatment to control the lymphoma. This can often keep people feeling well for long periods of time.
The treatment usually lasts for at least 6 months. But sometimes you have treatment once a week instead of once every few weeks. In this case the treatment lasts for 3 or 4 months.
Lymph nodes commonly swell if we have an infection but they usually go back to normal over a short time. With lymphoma, the lymph nodes often grow slowly and may be there for months or years before they're noticed. But sometimes they grow very quickly.
Some lymphomas grow faster and require specific treatment. Classifying them is complex because many kinds of lymphocyte cells can be involved. These grow so slowly that patients can live for many years mostly without symptoms, although some may experience pain from an enlarged lymph gland.
Diffuse large B cell lymphoma
This fast-growing lymphoma accounts for about one third of NHL cases. For this lymphoma, it is typical for lymph nodes to double in size every month, and patients often present within a few months of having noted an enlarged lymph node.
around 80 out of every 100 people (around 80%) survive their cancer for 1 year or more after they are diagnosed. around 65 out of every 100 people (around 65%) survive their cancer for 5 years or more after diagnosis.
There are also instances where the person with lymphoma decides they do not wish to have any more treatment. From the point of diagnosis onwards, you should be offered symptom and pain relief. This is known as 'palliative care' and it is separate to active treatment given to treat your lymphoma.
Stage 4 lymphoma is treatable. Aggressive rounds of chemotherapy are often given as a first-line treatment for lymphoma at this stage. The five-year relative survival rate for stage 4 lymphoma varies and ranges from 57% to 86% based on the type you have.
Although there are no curable cancers, melanoma, Hodgkin lymphoma, and breast, prostate, testicular, cervical, and thyroid cancer have some of the highest 5-year relative survival rates. Cancer is a disease that causes cells to grow and multiply uncontrollably in certain parts of the body.
If defining "fastest-killing" cancer is based on which cancer has the worst 5-year relative survival rate, then it would be a tie between pancreatic cancer and malignant mesothelioma (a relatively rare cancer in the U.S. with about 3,000 cases a year).