Stable Disease — What It Means in Clinical Trials

Plain English Definition

Stable disease means your condition is neither getting better nor getting worse. The tumor has not shrunk enough to count as a partial response, but it has not grown enough to count as progression. Stable disease can be a positive outcome, especially for aggressive conditions.

Why It Matters

Stable disease might not sound exciting, but for many serious conditions, keeping the disease from getting worse is a meaningful result. Some treatments aim to stabilize disease rather than shrink it.

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