Is NHL curable?
The word "cure" gives us all a lift, but I think most doctors would hesitate to use the word until a generation of so of data proves that few NHL patients relapse.
The dictionary defines cure as "to bring back to health," but it doesn't specify the length of time. As cancer patients and survivors, are we putting too much emphasis on the word itself? Does hearing "cure" from a doctor really guarantee that cancer will not return? Of course not.
There are many people who are living normal, healthy lives after bouts with NHL. Our doctors say we are in remission. With all due respect for their scientific expertise, today there is no evidence of disease in my body. I have been brought back to health, the very definition of cure! And that is how I think of myself!
Still, the question: is NHL curable? It's doubtful that any one of us could find a doctor who would definitively answer yes, but each year, more people are surviving because new treatments like radioimmunotherapy are proving to increase the survival rates.