Mark Womack, Tennessee Oncology; member, Chattanooga-Hamilton County Medical SocietyQ: My husband has been diagnosed with diffuse large B-cell non-Hodgkins lymphoma intra-abdominal lymph nodes stage E2 or 4. What is in each stage?
A: Lymphomas are a group of cancers of the lymph glands and immune cells. Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, or DLBCL, is the most-common type of non-Hodgkins lymphoma and each stage depicts the numbers of of lymph nodes involved. Stage 1 has one lymph node group involved, while stage 2 has two or more lymph node groups on the same side of the diaphragm (either the chest or the abdomen). Stage 3 has lymph nodes involved on both sides of the diaphragm or lymph nodes in the chest and spleen. If there are multiple areas involved that are not lymph nodes, such as the liver or the bone marrow, then it is stage 4. DLBCL is treated by chemotherapy along with various drugs typical; radiation therapy is also included in some cases.
– Mark Womack, Tennessee Oncology; member, Chattanooga-Hamilton County Medical Society
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