Making the Diagnosis
Your doctor will ask you questions about your symptoms and perform a physical exam. If your doctor suspects non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, other tests will be performed to confirm the diagnosis.
Blood tests will check for abnormalities in blood cells and organ (e.g., liver, kidney) function. X-rays, ultrasounds, or computed tomography (CT) and positron emission tomography (PET) scans will check lymph nodes deep inside the body that cannot be examined by your doctor.
A lymph node biopsy (removing a small tissue sample of the lymph gland for microscope examination) will confirm the diagnosis. A doctor may take a biopsy of the bone marrow to see if cancer has spread. This test involves inserting a needle into your lower back to draw out some material inside your bone and looking at the sample through a microscope to see if there are any cancer cells.
With the information obtained from tests, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma will be given a stage and grade. Knowing the stage and grade of the cancer, you and your doctor will be able to decide what treatment will be best for you.
The following stages are used for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma:
- stage 1: Cancer is found in only one lymph node area.
- stage 2: Cancer is found in two or more lymph node areas on the same side of the diaphragm (the thin muscle under the lungs that helps breathing and separates the chest from the abdomen).
- stage 3: Cancer is found in lymph node areas on both sides of the diaphragm.
- stage 4: Cancer has spread to one or more organs (e.g., liver, lungs, brain, bone marrow).
- recurrent: Means that the cancer has come back after it has been treated.
The two grades of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma are indolent lymphomas and aggressive lymphomas. Indolent lymphomas are slower-growing and have fewer symptoms compared to aggressive lymphomas, which grow more quickly.