Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma

Blood tests give your healthcare provider a view of your overall health. Providers may test your blood for viruses linked to non-Hodgkin lymphoma, or for substances or other characteristics that may be signs of disease.

• Complete blood count (CBC): This test measures and counts your blood cells.
• Blood chemistry study: This test measures substances that your organs and tissues release into your bloodstream.
• Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels: This test measures LDH levels. High LDH levels may be a sign of tissue damage, lymphoma or other diseases.

Imaging tests

Imaging tests give healthcare providers information about changes in your body, such as tumors.

• Computed tomography (CT) scan: CT scans make a series of detailed pictures of areas inside your body.
• Positron emission tomography (PET) scan: This test uses a small amount of radioactive tracer to detect tissues that are likely to contain cancer.
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan: This test uses a magnet, radio waves and a computer to make a series of detailed pictures of areas inside your body.
• Ultrasound: In this procedure, high-energy sound waves (ultrasound) bounce off internal tissues or organs and make echoes. The echoes form a picture of your body tissues called a sonogram.

Other tests

• Lymph node biopsy: Providers may remove all or part of a lymph node to examine the tissue under a microscope for signs of Reed Sternberg cells.
• Immunophenotyping: This test helps diagnose specific lymphoma types. It uses antibodies to identify cancer cells based on the types of antigens or markers on the surface of the cells. (Your body makes antibodies to combat foreign substances. Antigens are substances that trigger your immune system.)
• Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C: Providers may test for hepatitis B and C markers to help plan Hodgkin lymphoma treatment. Markers are virus-specific antigens and/or antibodies. Different markers or combinations of markers show if you’ve been exposed to these viruses.
• Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV):Providers may test for HIV to help them plan treatment.

What are the stages of non-Hodgkin lymphomas?

Test results help providers with cancer staging. Providers stage cancer to develop treatment plans and estimate prognosis, or expected outcome. Here’s information about non-Hodgkin lymphoma stages:

Stage I

• There’s lymphoma in one lymph node area or one lymphoid organ. Your thymus, spleen and bone marrow are lymphoid organs.
• Stage IE: There’s lymphoma in just one area of a single organ outside of your lymph system.

Stage II

• There’s lymphoma in two or more groups of lymph nodes on the same side of (above or below) your diaphragm. This is the band of muscle that separates your chest and belly.
• The lymphoma is part of a group of lymph nodes and is in one area of a nearby organ. In this stage, the lymphoma may also affect other lymph nodes near your diaphragm.

Stage III:

• There’s lymphoma in lymph node areas on both sides of (above and below) your diaphragm.

Or:

• There’s lymphoma in lymph nodes above your diaphragm and in your spleen.

Stage IV:

• There’s lymphoma in at least one organ outside your lymph system, such as your bone marrow, liver or lung.

Understanding cancer staging

Cancer staging systems help healthcare providers to plan treatment and share information about your situation. Healthcare providers use stages to plan non-Hodgkin lymphoma treatment. They also evaluate risk factors to place conditions in certain categories that characterize prognosis or expected outcomes.

Some people who have cancer may be confused and intimidated by a system that describes their illness with a formula of letters and numbers or risk factors that place them in one category or another. They may even feel as if their condition’s stage or category defines who they are.

Healthcare providers understand why people may feel this way. If this is your situation, talk to your provider. They’ll be glad to answer your questions about cancer staging systems.