Once the cancer is detected in your body, your doctor will perform other medical exams or base on the previous test to determine its stage. The following are stages used in clinical evaluation of non-Hodgkin lymphoma:
- Stage I – at this stage, the cancer has affected a single lymph node or one organ outside the lymph nodes.
- Stage II – at stage 2, the cancer has spread into two or more lymph nodes located in the same side of the diaphragm.
- Stage III – the cancer has spread into the lymph node groups on both sides of the diaphragm; the lymphoma may also spread into the spleen and/or an organ near the affected lymph nodes.
- Stage IV – at stage 4, the cancer has invaded other organs outside the lymphatic system: liver, lung, bone, or bone.
- Recurrent – the cancer has returned after treatment; in general, recurrent lymphoma (non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma or Hodgkin’s lymphoma) is more difficult to be treated.