Relapsed disease means a cancer has come back. Refractory disease means a cancer has stopped responding to treatment.

What is difference between relapsed and refractory?

Relapsed CLL is the term for disease that responded to therapy but, after 6 or more months, stopped responding. Refractory disease is the term for CLL that does not result in a remission (but may be stable) or disease that gets worse within 6 months of the last treatment.

What is refractory relapse?

The term “relapsed” refers to disease that reappears or grows again after a period of remission. The term “refractory” is used to describe when the lymphoma does not respond to treatment (meaning that the cancer cells continue to grow) or when the response to treatment does not last very long.