Defining the Stages of Aggressive Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma — A Work in Progress

Abstract

It is well known that localized cancers, including aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, have a better prognosis than cancers that have spread. When the results of treatment for aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma are reported, the results for Ann Arbor stage I disease (involvement of a single lymph-node region) are typically reported separately from those for stage III (involvement of lymph nodes on both sides of the diaphragm) and stage IV (stage III plus extranodal involvement). The results of treatment for stage II disease (involvement of two or more lymph nodes on the same side of the diaphragm) may be included in either group. . . .