Defining Response to Cancer Treatment
Term | Definition |
|---|---|
Cure | Long-term absence of symptoms or signs of a disease, although patients who appear to be cured may still have cancer cells that could eventually cause recurrence |
Complete remission (complete response) | No evidence of cancer |
Partial response | Substantial (usually > 50%) reduction in size of a cancer |
Stable disease | Neither improving nor worsening |
Disease-free survival | Interval between achieving a complete remission and recurrence or death, whichever occurs first |
Progression-free interval | Time from start of treatment (or random assignment in a randomized trial) to progression |
Overall survival | Time from diagnosis or start of therapy to death |
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