Table of Contents Hodgkin's Disease Risk Factors Symptoms of Hodgkins Disease Diagnosis and Staging of Hodgkin's Disease Treatment of Hodgkin's Disease Hodgkins Disease Treatment - Getting a Second Opinion Preparing for Treatment of Hodgkin's Disease Methods of Treating Hodgkin's Disease Hodgkin's Disease Clinical Trials Side Effects of Hodgkin's Disease Treatment Radiation Therapy for Hodgkin's Disease Hodgkin's Disease Treatment - Chemotherapy Nutrition During Hodgkin's Disease Treatment Recovery and Outlook Hodgkin's Disease Followup Care Support for People with Hodgkin's Disease Keeping on top of Your Condition

Recovery and Outlook

It is natural for anyone facing cancer to be concerned about what the future holds. Understanding the nature of cancer and what to expect can help patients and their loved ones plan treatment, anticipate lifestyle changes, and make quality of life and financial decisions.

Cancer patients frequently ask their doctors or search on their own for statistics to answer the question, "What is my prognosis?" Prognosis is a prediction of the future course and outcome of a disease and an indication of the likelihood of recovery from that disease. However, it is only an estimate. When doctors discuss a patient's prognosis, they are attempting to project what is likely to occur for that individual patient. The prognosis for Hodgkin's disease can be affected by many factors, particularly the stage of the cancer, the patient's response to treatment, and the patient's age and general health.

Sometimes people use statistics to try to figure out their chances of being cured. However, statistics reflect the experience of a large group of patients. They cannot be used to predict what will happen to a particular patient because no two patients are alike; treatment and responses vary greatly. The doctor who is most familiar with a patient's situation is in the best position to help interpret statistics and discuss the patient's prognosis.

When doctors talk about surviving cancer, they may use the term remission rather than cure. Although many people with Hodgkin's disease are successfully treated, doctors use the term remission because cancer can return. It is important to discuss the possibility of recurrence with the doctor.