Medical Oncologist
Scan reports & response categories
Is 'Stable Disease' — Good News or Bad?
When your scan report comes back showing stable disease, it is natural to wonder whether that is a good or a bad result. In most situations, it is better news than it sounds — but what it means depends on your cancer type and how your oncologist is reading it.
Medically reviewed by Dr. Bharati Devi Gorantla, Medical Oncologist, MBBS · MD · DM (Adyar, Chennai) · ECMO · MRCP SCE (UK) · Last reviewed August 2026
- Not a failure — Stable disease means the cancer is controlled, not that treatment has stopped working.
- A recognised result — RECIST, the standard used by oncologists worldwide, lists stable disease as one of four formal response categories.
- Context changes meaning — The same result can be reassuring or concerning depending on your cancer type and your previous scans.
- Your oncologist interprets it — The scan report is one part of the picture — your clinical history shapes what the result actually means for you.
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Stable disease means your cancer has not grown or shrunk significantly on your recent scan. RECIST, the measurement standard endorsed by ASCO and ESMO, classifies this as a controlled result. For many cancers and treatments, stable disease is good news — it means the treatment is keeping the cancer in check.
What does 'stable disease' mean on a scan report?
Your scan has been compared to the previous one, and the tumours have not changed enough in size to shift your result into a different category. The formal name for this is stable disease.
It does not mean nothing is happening. It means the cancer is controlled — not spreading and not shrinking dramatically.
Stable disease is defined using RECIST criteria, a standardised measurement system that oncologists use worldwide to make response assessments consistent across clinics and clinical trials.
Does stable disease mean the treatment is working?
In many situations, yes. If your cancer was growing before treatment started and it is now stable, the treatment is doing its job — holding the disease in check.
For slow-growing cancers and maintenance therapies, stable disease sustained over many months is considered a successful outcome. The goal of treatment is sometimes control rather than shrinkage.
Context matters. Your oncologist will interpret stable disease differently depending on your cancer type, your previous scan result, and how long you have been on this treatment.
What are the four scan response categories?
| Response category | What it means | What typically happens next |
|---|---|---|
| Complete response | No tumour is detectable on imaging | Treatment may finish or move to a monitoring phase |
| Partial response | Tumours have shrunk significantly; no new ones | Treatment continues; next scan is planned |
| Stable disease | Tumours have not grown or shrunk significantly | Treatment continues; regular monitoring continues |
| Progressive disease | Tumours have grown, or new ones have appeared | Team discusses changing the treatment plan |
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Dr. C. Raghavendra Reddy
MBBS(Gold Medal), DNB(General Medicine), DM(Medical Oncology)(Gold Medal)
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Dr. Bharati Devi Gorantla
MBBS, MD(General Medicine), DM(Medical Oncology)(Adyar,Chennai), ECMO, MRCP SCE(UK)
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Dr. Owais Mohammed
MBBS, MD (General Medicine), DrNB (Medical Oncology), ECMO, MRCP SCE (Medical Oncology) (UK)
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What do these terms mean in plain language?
- RECIST
- Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumours — the standardised system oncologists use to measure and classify how a tumour has responded to treatment on a scan. It is the basis for the four response categories above.
- Complete response (CR)
- No tumour is detectable on imaging after treatment. This is the best possible scan result, though it does not always mean the cancer cannot return.
- Partial response (PR)
- The tumour or tumours have shrunk meaningfully and no new ones have appeared. The treatment is considered to be working well.
- Stable disease (SD)
- The tumour has neither grown nor shrunk enough to move into another category. The cancer is considered controlled at this point in time.
- Progressive disease (PD)
- The tumour has grown, or new tumours have appeared. The current treatment is not adequately controlling the cancer and a change in plan is likely.
- Metabolic response
- On a PET scan, this describes how active the tumour cells are, not just their size. A tumour can be stable in size but show reduced or increased metabolic activity.
Questions to ask your oncologist about your scan result
- What was my response category, and what was it on my previous scan?
- Is stable disease the expected result for my cancer type and treatment at this stage?
- How many more scans will I have before a treatment decision is made?
- What would need to change on a scan for you to review my treatment plan?
- Is my result based on CT measurements, PET activity, or both?
Did you know?
Stable disease lasting six months or more is recognised as a meaningful treatment outcome in oncology clinical trials — not just tumour shrinkage.
ESMO and ASCO both include sustained stable disease as a valid endpoint when assessing whether a treatment has provided clinical benefit.
Source: ESMO Magnitude of Clinical Benefit Scale; ASCO guidance on clinical trial endpoints
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Common questions
Frequently asked questions
Is stable disease the same as remission?
No, they are different. Remission usually refers to a situation where little or no cancer is detectable — what oncologists formally call a complete or partial response. Stable disease means the cancer is present but controlled: not growing and not shrinking significantly. Some oncologists use the word remission loosely in conversation, but on a formal scan report you will see the RECIST category rather than that word. Ask your oncologist which category your result falls into if you are unsure.
How long can stable disease last?
There is no fixed limit, and it varies considerably by cancer type and treatment. For some cancers, stable disease continues for many months or years. Your oncologist will check at every scan whether the result has changed and will review the treatment plan if the pattern shifts. Ask what they are looking for at your next scan, and what would prompt a change in your treatment approach.
My report says 'no evidence of progression' — is that the same as stable disease?
No evidence of progression means the cancer has not grown or spread, which covers both partial response and stable disease. It does not tell you whether the tumour has also shrunk. Ask your oncologist or radiologist which RECIST category applies to you, because the distinction matters — partial response means the treatment is producing shrinkage, while stable disease means it is holding the cancer steady without shrinkage.
What is the difference between stable disease on a CT scan and a PET scan?
A CT scan measures the physical size of the tumour. A PET scan measures how metabolically active the tumour cells are — how much energy they are using, which reflects how active the cancer is. A tumour can be stable in size but show high metabolic activity, or it can show reduced activity even before it visibly shrinks. Your oncologist uses both together when both are available. Ask which scan your result is based on and whether both types are being used to monitor your response.
Can stable disease change to progressive disease suddenly?
Yes, it can. Stable disease is not a permanent state — it describes what the scans show at a specific point in time. Regular monitoring scans are scheduled precisely to catch any change early. If a future scan shows growth or new tumours, your team will discuss whether to continue the current treatment, switch to a different one, or explore other options. Attending every scheduled scan is important because it is the only way to catch a change when it is most manageable.
Should I be worried if several scans in a row show stable disease?
Not necessarily. Several consecutive stable disease results can mean the treatment is doing exactly what it is meant to do — keeping the cancer controlled over time. Whether sustained stable disease is the intended goal of your particular treatment is the question to ask your oncologist directly. If it is the expected and accepted outcome for your cancer and treatment, multiple stable results are reassuring rather than a sign that something is being missed.