Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma (NHL)

June 2005     View PDF
Reprinted from National Cancer Institute, www.cancer.gov, US

Staging

If non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma is diagnosed, the doctor needs to learn the stage, or extent, of the disease. Staging is a careful attempt to find out whether the cancer has spread and, if so, what parts of the body are affected. Treatment decisions depend on these findings.

The doctor considers the following to determine the stage of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma:

• The number and location of affected lymph nodes;
• Whether the affected lymph nodes are above, below, or on both sides of the diaphragm (the thin muscle under the lungs and heart that separates the chest from the abdomen); and
• Whether the disease has spread to the bone marrow, spleen, or to organs outside the lymphatic system, such as the liver.

In staging, the doctor may use some of the same tests used for the diagnosis of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Other staging procedures may include additional biopsies of lymph nodes, the liver, bone marrow, or other tissue. A bone marrow biopsy involves removing a sample of bone marrow through a needle inserted into the hip or another large bone. A pathologist examines the sample under a microscope to check for cancer cells.