Along with the 70,000 people diagnosed with NHL this year in the United States, over 19,000 people will die. In addition, about 1 in 50 americans will develop NHL in their lifetime. Although there are many childhood patients, over 50% of them are over the age of 66. Only about 66% of people survive 5 years after recovery, and about a 59% survival rate after ten years (National, American).
There are no known causes for …show more content…
Stages can be diagnosed in a number of ways. A bone marrow biopsy uses a thick needle to draw samples of bone and marrow. A CT scan allows the doctors to take detailed pictures of the head, neck, chest, abdomen or pelvis. A MRI also allows doctors to see and take detailed pictures of the body, but of the spinal cord, bone marrow, or the brain. A PET scan is a injection of radioactive sugars that shows how lymphomas use the sugar in the body, and shows that the cancerous lymphomas use the sugar faster. An ultrasound, and a spinal are also common ways to diagnose the stage of one’s NHL. The cancer is harder to treat and cure is the higher stages, as more of the body is infected …show more content…
In stage I the lymphoma cells are in one lymph node group, or in the abdominal cells. In stage one there may be little to no symptoms, so it may escape detections in its early stages (National, Browley). In stage II the lymphomas are in at least two lymph node groups, either above or below the diaphragm, or in one part of an organ and the lymph node(s) near that area. There are more apparent symptoms now (National, Browley). In the third stage of NHL the lymphoma is in the lymph nodes above and below the diaphragm. As well as being found in the lymph nodes, it is found in parts an organ and tissue near that area. It is also found in lymph nodes near that infected organ/tissue. Once again the symptoms are quite apparent and more severe that the last stage’s symptoms (National, Browley). In the fourth and final stage of non-Hodgkin lymphoma the lymphoma cells are found in several parts of many organs and tissues, or it has spread to the liver or bone marrow. Stage IV is the most difficult stage to treat, because in this stage more of the body is infected with the cancer. It also has the most severe symptoms (National,