Attention, chocolate lovers: You may not be able to help yourselves. Swiss and British scientists have linked the widespread love of chocolate to a chemical "signature" that may be programmed into our metabolic systems.
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Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma
- Overview, Causes, & Risk Factors
- Symptoms & Signs
- Diagnosis & Tests
- Prevention & Expectations
- Treatment & Monitoring
- Attribution
- View All
Diagnosis & Tests
How is the disease diagnosed?
Diagnosis of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma begins with a medical history and physical exam. Lymphoma is diagnosed by biopsies, or the examining of tissue samples. Blood samples are taken so that immune studies can be done on white blood cells. Some lymphomas cause higher levels of white cells in the blood, but others do not.
Bone marrow biopsies and lymph node biopsies are usually used to make a diagnosis. Lymphomas are classified into different subtypes based on their characteristics. This classification of lymphomas continues to evolve as knowledge of the disease advances.
Lymphomas need to be staged, which is a rough measure of the amount of cancer in the body. Tests used in staging include:
Lymphoma stages are classified as I, II, III, and IV. This classification scheme is like the one for Hodgkin's lymphoma, another type of blood cancer.
Staging does not predict treatment outcomes like it does in Hodgkin's lymphoma. In non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a better predictor is the type of tissue involved. Special laboratory testing called immune analysis can help predict the outcome of lymphoma. This analysis looks at cell proteins and gene abnormalities. It is not always helpful in figuring out which treatment to use, though.