What Does the 5-Year Survival Rate for Hodgkin's Disease Mean?

Survival rates show the percentage of people who live for a specific length of time after being told they have Hodgkin's disease. The rates are specific to people with a certain type and stage of Hodgkin's disease. Often, statistics refer to the 5-year survival rate. That’s the percentage of people who are living 5 years after diagnosis. The 5-year rate includes people who:

• Are free of disease

• Have few or no signs or symptoms of the disease

• Are being treated for the disease

Most people with Hodgkin's disease live much longer than 5 years after diagnosis. Because the statistics we have for 5-year rates are based on people whose doctors diagnosed and treated them more than 5 years ago, it’s possible that the outlook could be better today. Recently diagnosed people often have a better outlook because of improvements in treatment.

Survival rates are based on large groups of people. They cannot be used to predict what will happen to a particular person. No two people are exactly alike, and treatment and responses to treatment vary greatly.