Israel
Treatment for advanced-stage Hodgkin lymphoma achieves 100% one-year survival rate
Researchers called it ‘a true revolution in Hodgkin lymphoma care’
December 12, 2025 13:40
Researchers called it ‘a true revolution in Hodgkin lymphoma care’
December 12, 2025 13:40Israeli researchers have unveiled an innovative treatment for advanced-stage Hodgkin lymphoma that they say resulted in a one-year survival rate of 100 per cent, representing a “true revolution” in caring for people with the disease.
While traditionally the management of patients with advanced-stage classical Hodgkin lymphoma has relied exclusively on chemotherapy, the new treatment combines advanced chemotherapy with targeted biological therapy.
The groundbreaking study was conducted across 15 Israeli medical centres. Of 79 patients, 95 percent of experienced complete response to the treatment – meaning all detectable signs of a disease disappeared, with just four per cent of participants requiring additional radiation therapy, according to the results, published in the medical journal, Blood.
The treatment also appeared to cause fewer, and less harsh, side effects compared with traditional approaches.
Hodgkin lymphoma is a malignancy of the lymphatic system. It accounts for about 10 per cent of all lymphoma cases and is especially common among young adults. The disease typically presents with swollen lymph nodes and may also include so-called “B symptoms” such as fever, night sweats and weight loss
Presented in the US at Ash, the world’s largest blood cancer conference, the new research was led by Dr Zvi Forgas, a senior physician in the haematology institute at Beer-Sheva’s Soroka Medical Centre, and Dr Tzofia Levy, a senior physician in the haematology division at Rambam Health Care Campus, in Haifa.
Speaking at the conference, Levy said: “The new treatment protocol represents a true revolution in Hodgkin lymphoma care. It enables patients to achieve full disease control – and in some cases, even a cure – in just nine weeks. In most patients, signs of the cancer disappeared early in the process, and by the end of treatment, there was little to no evidence of disease.”
She added: “Our study brings Israeli experience to the global stage for the first time and presents a unified, comprehensive picture from all of the country’s medical centres.
“Presenting the study at the Ash conference with a broad Israeli team highlights Israel’s leading role in the field of haematology.”
A separate research team from Israel recently announced it had developed a therapy that cpuld help cancer survivors struggling with memory problems and concentration after undergoing treatment.
Up to 80 per cent of survivors continue to struggle with what has been dubbed “chemo brain” – subtle but disruptive changes in memory, attention, and mental processing that can make work, relationships, and daily routines unexpectedly difficult – during and after their cancer treatment.
The researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem hope the treatment they have developed could help cancer survivors regain confidence and improve everyday functioning while combating social isolation.
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