Information for the public
Finding out where the lymphoma is in your body
Finding out where the lymphoma is in your body
Your care team will use the results of your biopsy, blood tests and scans to find out where the lymphoma is in your body. This is called 'staging'. Doctors describe lymphoma using stages numbered from 1 to 4, where stage 1 is early‑stage lymphoma and stage 3 and stage 4 are advanced‑stage lymphoma. Stage 2 lymphoma is usually treated as an early lymphoma, but this depends on the type, where it is in your body and if you have symptoms. Your doctor will explain how the stage of your lymphoma affects your treatment.
PET-CT scans
A type of scan called a PET-CT scan is sometimes used to show where cancer cells are in the body.
When you are diagnosed
A PET‑CT scan is particularly useful for people who have been diagnosed with stage 1 and some stage 2 lymphomas. It is less useful if your lymphoma is advanced (stages 3 or 4) or if you have MALT lymphoma or mantle cell lymphoma. You should only be offered this scan if your care team believes it will give information that might affect your treatment.
After your treatment
A PET‑CT scan is sometimes done after treatment has finished, to see how well the treatment has worked. This is usually only helpful for people with certain types of non‑Hodgkin lymphoma – ask your care team for more information.
Before a stem cell transplant
You may be offered a PET‑CT scan if you have a high-grade non‑Hodgkin lymphoma, to see if treatment has worked before you have a stem cell transplant.
Questions you could ask about staging and PET‑CT scans
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Please explain more about staging non‑Hodgkin lymphoma
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What types of scans might I have?
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What stage of lymphoma do I have? What does this mean for my outlook (prognosis)?
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Why are you advising that I have a PET‑CT scan? What will it show?
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What does having a PET‑CT scan involve?
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Will a PET‑CT scan show if my treatment has worked?