What are the stages of Hodgkin lymphoma?
Staging means finding out how much of your body is affected by the disease.
Number stages
- Stage 1 (I): One group of lymph nodes is affected on one side of your diaphragm (either above or below your diaphragm).
- Stage 2 (II): Two or more groups of lymph nodes are affected either above or below your diaphragm
- Stage 3 (III): Lymph nodes are affected above and below your diaphragm
- Stage 4 (IV): Lymphoma can be found in organs outside your lymphatic system or in your bone marrow
In general, the lower the number, the less advanced the cancer.
Early and late stage lymphoma
- Early stage: This includes stage 1 and possibly stage 2.
- Advanced stage: This is usually stage 2, 3 or 4.
Letter codes
- A: No symptoms.
- B: You have symptoms, such as weight loss, fever and night sweats.
- E: The lymphoma is in unusual places outside your lymph nodes. For example, in your stomach. This is called extranodal lymphoma (the letter E stands for extranodal).
- S: The lymphoma is in your spleen.
Recurrent or relapsed lymphoma
This is when the disease comes back after treatment. It can still be treated successfully, depending on the stage.
Staging can be hard to understand, so ask your doctor and nurse for more information if you need it.
For more information
Phone
1800 200 700