Can you survive stage 4 hodgkins lymphoma

Staging is a way of describing how far Hodgkin lymphoma has spread throughout the body. These tests help your doctor determine the stage of the cancer.

Table of Contents Show

Risk grouping
Is Stage 4 lymphoma a terminal?
Is Hodgkin's lymphoma stage 4 curable?
Is Stage 4 Hodgkin's lymphoma serious?
What are the chances of surviving stage 4 lymphoma?

The table below describes the different stages of Hodgkin lymphoma. Knowing the stage helps your doctor work out the best treatment for you. Your doctor can explain your stage to you. Stages 1 and 2 are considered early-stage lymphoma, and stages 3 and 4 are considered advanced-stage lymphoma.

Learn more about:

Staging Hodgkin lymphoma
Risk grouping
Prognosis

The stage indicates how far Hodgkin lymphoma has spread in the body. Each stage is also given a letter based on whether you have specific symptoms. The letter B means you have fever, night sweats and/or unexplained weight loss (typical lymphoma symptoms). The letter A means you have none of the B symptoms.

stage 1	one lymph node area is affected, either above or below the diaphragm
stage 2	two or more lymph node areas are affected on the same side of the diaphragm
stage 3	at least one lymph node area above and at least one lymph node area below the diaphragm are affected
stage 4	lymphoma is in multiple lymph nodes and has spread to other parts of the body (e.g. bones, lungs, liver)

Risk grouping

Your doctor will consider the stage along with the results of blood tests and imaging scans to work out how the Hodgkin lymphoma is likely to respond to treatment. This can be called the risk category.

Early-stage Hodgkin lymphoma may be grouped into one of two categories: “favourable” or “unfavourable”.
Advanced-stage Hodgkin lymphoma will be given an International Prognostic Score (IPS) of 0–7 and categorised as low, medium or high risk.

Knowing the stage and risk category of the lymphoma helps your doctor work out the best treatment for you.

Prognosis

Prognosis means the expected outcome of a disease. You may wish to discuss your prognosis and treatment options with your haematologist (or medical oncologist if they are your main treating specialist). However, it is not possible for anyone to predict the exact course of the disease in an individual person. Instead, your doctor can give you an idea about the common issues that affect people with your type of Hodgkin lymphoma.

Important factors in assessing your prognosis include:

your test results
the type of Hodgkin lymphoma you have
the stage and risk category
the rate of cancer growth
how well the Hodgkin lymphoma responds to treatment (you will also have tests throughout your treatment that show how well the treatment is working)
other factors such as your age, fitness and medical history.

Hodgkin lymphoma usually responds well to treatment, and most people who are treated for Hodgkin lymphoma go into remission. This means the symptoms of Hodgkin lymphoma decrease or disappear and the doctor can’t find any sign of the disease during a physical examination or on imaging tests. During remission, you will need regular check-ups to ensure that you are still healthy and the cancer hasn’t returned.

In some cases, Hodgkin lymphoma may not respond to the initial treatment, which is known as refractory disease, or it may come back (relapse or recur) after remission has been achieved. See Stem cell transplant for information about treatment for refractory or relapsed disease.

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ON THIS PAGE: You will find information about the number of people who are diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma each year. You will also read general information on surviving the disease. Remember, survival rates depend on several factors. Use the menu to see other pages.

This year, an estimated 8,540 people (4,570 men and 3,970 women) in the United States will be diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma. From 2009 to 2018, the number of people diagnosed with this disease dropped by 1.4 % each year. Worldwide, an estimated 83,087 people were diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma in 2020.

It is estimated that 920 deaths (550 men and 370 women) from this disease will occur in the United States this year. The survival rate has been going up since around 1975, thanks to treatment improvements. From 2010 to 2019, the death rate dropped by 4.5% every year. In 2020, an estimated 23,376 people worldwide died from Hodgkin lymphoma.

Hodgkin lymphoma affects both children and adults. In the United States, it is most common in 2 age groups. The first group is people in early adulthood, particularly people in their 20s. The second is people older than 55. The average age of diagnosis is 39.

Although the disease is rare in children younger than 5, it is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in teens ages 15 to 19. The disease accounts for 11% of all cancer cases in this age group. Learn more about this disease in children and adolescents.

The 5-year survival rate tells you what percent of people live at least 5 years after the cancer is found. Percent means how many out of 100. These rates may be affected by the subtype and stage of Hodgkin lymphoma and the age and gender of the patient. The 5-year survival rate for all people with Hodgkin lymphoma in the United States is 88%. If the cancer spreads regionally, the 5-year survival rate is 94%. If the cancer has spread to different parts of the body, the 5-year survival rate is 82%.

It is important to remember that statistics on the survival rates for people with Hodgkin lymphoma are an estimate. The estimate comes from annual data based on the number of people with this cancer in the United States. The survival rates for Hodgkin lymphoma on this page are based on people diagnosed between 2010 and 2016. Also, experts measure the survival statistics every several years. This means the estimate may not reflect the results of advancements in how Hodgkin lymphoma is diagnosed or treated in recent years. Talk with your doctor if you have any questions about this information. Learn more about understanding statistics.

Statistics adapted from the American Cancer Society’s (ACS) publication, Cancer Facts & Figures 2022 and Cancer Facts & Figures 2020, the ACS website, and the International Agency for Research on Cancer website. Additional source was: Seigel R, et al.: Cancer Statistics 2022. CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians. 2022 Jan; 72(1):7-33. doi/full/10.3322/caac.21708. (All sources accessed January 2022.)

The next section in this guide is Medical Illustrations. It offers a drawing of body parts often affected by Hodgkin lymphoma. Use the menu to choose a different section to read in this guide.

Is Stage 4 lymphoma a terminal?

Stage 4 lymphoma means that cancer has spread to an organ external to the lymphatic system. The survival rates vary widely depending on an individual's risk factors and type of cancer. The survival rate of stage 4 lymphoma is lower than that of the other stages, but doctors can cure the condition in some cases.

Is Hodgkin's lymphoma stage 4 curable?

The one-year survival rate for all patients diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma is about 92 percent. The five-year survival rate is about 86 percent. For people with stage 4 Hodgkin's lymphoma, the survival rate is lower. But even in stage 4 you can beat the disease.

Is Stage 4 Hodgkin's lymphoma serious?

What is stage 4 Hodgkin lymphoma? This is the most advanced stage for this type of cancer. In stage 4 Hodgkin lymphoma, the following is true: The cancer has spread to at least one organ outside of the lymphatic system, such as the liver, lungs or bone marrow.

What are the chances of surviving stage 4 lymphoma?

For stage IV NHL, the 5-year survival rate is almost 64%. These survival rates vary depending on the cancer's stage and subtype. It is important to remember that statistics on the survival rates for people with NHL are an estimate.

survive stage hodgkins lymphoma