Lymphoma is a form of cancer that occurs in the lymph nodes and lymphatic system when the cells in these areas begin to grow uncontrollably and abnormally, as cancer cells do. Lymph tissue is present throughout the body, meaning that lymphoma can form in various areas and organs of the body. The severity of lymphoma is classified with stages.
Stages I and II
Stage I lymphoma indicates the presence of cancer in one group of lymph nodes, and sometimes (rarely) in a single organ not connected to the lymph system. Stage II exists when two or more groups of cancerous lymphomas are found on the same side of the diaphragm, either in the lymph nodes or in other body organs.
Stage III
Stage III exists when two or more groups of lymphomas are present, with at least one present on each side of the diaphragm; this means that one or more lymphomas are found in the upper body and one or more lymphomas are also found in the lower body.
Stage IV
Stage IV is when the lymphoma has spread to the bone marrow or several body organs; again on both sides of the diaphragm.
Symptoms
Symptoms that indicate the presence of lymphomas include weight loss, indigestion, vomiting, nausea, other abdominal discomfort and stomach problems, loss of appetite, feelings of fullness, pain in the bones, persistent coughing, headaches and fevers. The most obvious symptom that doctors will investigate further is swollen glands in the groin, armpit and the neck. Symptoms are not specific to each stage of lymphoma--so symptoms experienced in Stage I are the same as in Stage II, for example--and the presence of certain symptoms is not a determination of which stage of lymphoma the patient has.
Duration
The length of each stage of lymphoma is not definite; Stage I for one patient may last three month before developing into a higher stage of lymphoma. Additionally, a patient in Stage I lymphoma may not advance to a high stage at all, or only after a year or longer. Many patients may even have only one stage of lymphoma indefinitely and never develop more lymphomas or advance to higher stages.
Treatment
Treatment is more successful when the lymphomas are discovered early, as with any type of cancer. The most common allopathic (conventional medicine) treatments for lymphoma are radiation therapy and chemotherapy used separately or in combination with each other, and certain drugs used to destroy the cancerous cells in the lymph nodes. Treatment for lymphoma can be conducted in all stages of the disease, and consist of identical treatments for each stage.
Considerations
The stages of lymphoma are intended to describe how many lymphomas are present and not to determine that a special treatment is needed, that a stage will last for a specific period of time or that certain symptoms are specific to any one stage of lymphoma.
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