Are lymphoma treatment results getting any better with all the medical research that is going on? The answer seems to be yes. A recenly published analysis of changes in treatment outcomes in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) between 1990 and 2004 in the US shows a very encouraging improvement in survival rates.

There is a 16% improvement in survival at both 5 and 10 years after diagnosis, and the improvement has occurred in almost all age groups, NHL types and in both males and females. This is extremely special, because few other cancers, if any, can boast of such an improvement in a span of just over a decade.

What has led to this improvement? There are no clear answers, but two important advances may have had a large impact. The first is the introduction of monoclonal antibodies (like rituximab) in the treatment of some common types of NHL. The other is advances made in the treatment of HIV infection, that contributes to the development of several types of NHL. No matter what the exact reasons are, the news is definitely a cause of cheer.