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.
 

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.