Remission and remission and remission
It is crucially important for a non-Hodgkin's lymphoma patient---indeed, any patient--- to understand his or her treatment and the result of that treatment.
When reviewing the patient's response to therapy, the oncologist often uses the term "remission". You, the patient must understand that "remission" has many definitions.
In fact, oncologists use the following terms that relate to remission:
1. remission
2. clinical remission
3. complete remission
4. pathologic remission
5. molecular remission
THESE TERMS ARE NOT SYNONYMOUS.
The varying definitions relate, in the final analysis to the vigor and sophistication of the follow-up studies. For example, one patient may undergo only a follow-up imaging study that shows no evidence of enlarged lymph nodes. Yet, there may still be malignant cells in the body.
Another patient may undergo, in addition to an imaging study, sophisticated blood studies, e.g., polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and gene expression tests that may indicate no evidence of malignant cells.
Both patients may be told that they are in "remission"; yet, there is a most important difference.
I urge every NHL patient to carefully query the oncologist as to the meaning of remission.
For myself, radioimmunotherapy (RIT) has provided me with a state of remission in which the most sophisticated tests show no evidence whatsoever of malignant cells in my body. Thank you, RIT.
Mort