Staging

Staging is a way of describing a cancer, such as where it is located, if or where it has spread, and if it is affecting the functions of other organs in the body. Doctors use diagnostic tests to determine the cancer's stage, so staging may not be complete until all the tests are finished. Knowing the stage helps the doctor to decide what kind of treatment is best and can help predict a patient's prognosis (chance of recovery). There are different stage descriptions for different types of cancer. Doctors use the following stages to describe NHL in children:

Stage I: Describes cancer that occurs in only one area outside the chest or abdomen.

Stage II: Describes a tumor that may occur in one area and surrounding lymph nodes, or it may be found in two or more lymph nodes or other areas on the same side of the diaphragm (the thin muscle under the lungs and heart that separates the chest from the abdomen). Or, the tumor began in the digestive system; surrounding lymph nodes may or may not be cancerous.

Stage III: Describes cancer that may occur in tissue or lymph nodes on both sides of the diaphragm. Or, the cancer started in the chest, or it may occur in multiple places in the abdomen, or growths may occur around the spine.

Stage IV: Describes cancer that is found in the bone marrow, spinal cord, and/or brain.

Recurrent: Recurrent cancer is cancer that comes back after treatment.

Source: National Cancer Institute