Lymphomas: the impact of chemotherapy on survival

Hodgkin's disease and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma are among the most sensitive tumours to chemotherapy. Response, even if complete, does not invariably result in cure. Chemotherapy has had a major impact on survival for patients with advanced Hodgkin's disease and in patients with both early and advanced high grade lymphoma. However, even in these two categories only 30-50% of patients can expect to be cured. Chemotherapy has had a major influence on the palliation of disease in patients with low grade lymphoma; however, it has not much influenced the long natural history of this group of diseases and no patients are cured by this or any other modality.