[Petronski]

There isn't any "good" NHL. It is only bad or worse. If he was diagnosed "a few years ago", the clock started ticking that much sooner.

Where did you get your medical degree, where did you do your residency, what board certifications do you hold, when did you examine Senator Thompson, what tests did you run, and how soon will the hard data from those tests be published?

[concretebob]

My brother-in-law had lymphoma almost 20 years ago.
He went through chemo and is alive and well and mean as ever.(He doesn't read FR so I can say that...;)
My point is, based on the description, IT'S NO BIG DEAL

[Plutarch]

...when did you examine Senator Thompson, what tests did you run, and how soon will the hard data from those tests be published?

I see, since I personally don't get to examine Sen. Thompson, I do not get to commment. If Sen. Thompson, or his doctors do not release all the hard data to which you refer, then we must instead look at what we do know, which is that he has been diagnosed with NHL. The overall 10 year survival for patients diagnosed with NHL is around 38%.

NHL prognosis is based on risk factors. We don't know which risk category Fred Thompson is in. We do know he has one risk factor, which is age >60. Are there extranodal sites? Is the LDH higher than normal? We don't know. If he has one more risk factor he would be in the Low-intermediate risk category, which has reduced survival.

So, sorry for bringing all this up. I like Fred Thompson, I wish him the best, I am sorry he has this disease, but it affects his potential candidacy for the Presidency and we need to consider the medical facts as they are.