stage 2 lymphoma | Classification of Hodgkin Lymphomas

Classification of Hodgkin Lymphomas



In order to complete the diagnosis of a Hodgkin's lymphoma, it is necessary to establish its stage and type. This information, essential for determining the rate of disease progression and the most appropriate therapeutic management, is provided by the above-mentioned examinations.

The lymphoma Stage
The stage is the term used to describe the extent of the disease's spread in the organism. The evolution of Hodgkin's lymphoma is divided, according to the ANN Arbor classification, into four stages: stages I and II are located while stages III and IV are considered to be advanced (i.e., they are more extensive).

The stadium is information that helps to get an idea of the prognosis and to determine the therapeutic approach to be adopted. The less lymphoma spread, the better the prognosis and the chances of healing.

The lymphoma Stage
The lymphoma Stage
Meaning of the letters A, B, E or X after the word "STADE"?
Each stage of Hodgkin's lymphoma is divided into two main subcategories: A and B. These are defined according to the symptoms experienced by the patient at the time of diagnosis:

Subcategory A is used to refer to patients who have no symptoms;
Subcategory B is applied when patients have so-called general or systemic symptoms, that is, affecting the whole body, such as fever, night sweats and weight loss;
Subcategory E is used when Hodgkin's lymphoma has spread locally from a lymph node to a single surrounding tissue;
Subcategory X is used in case of significant tumor mass at the mediastinum or lymph nodes, the tumor mass corresponding to the size of the tumor (s). Generally, the smaller the tumor, the more likely it is that a treatment can eliminate it completely. Patients with small tumours generally have a more favorable prognosis than those in which the tumour (or tumors) is larger.
Prognostic Risk Factors: Information to guide the choice of treatment

What is the prognosis?
Prognosis is the medical term used to describe how the disease is likely to evolve and the chances of healing.

The prognosis is defined from information collected from thousands of patients who have had the same pathology. Statistical analysis of this information provides physicians with a general idea of the evolution of the disease according to the type of lymphoma diagnosed, as well as indications of the types of treatments that gave the best results.

However, everyone responds differently and the statistics from a large group of patients do not provide a prediction of the disease's evolution and the response to treatment in a given person. The Doctor Who cares for you and knows your situation is in the best position to interpret these statistics and determine how they apply to your situation.

What are prognostic risk factors?

Prognostic risk factors are known factors that can influence how the disease will evolve, so on its prognosis. Based on these factors, the doctors have established prognostic groups to which reference treatments, the so-called standard treatments, correspond. So the doctor, based on these factors evaluated in a given patient, can estimate the chances of success of a treatment and determine the choice of the most appropriate treatment in his case.

In addition to the type of lymphoma, other factors may affect the individual response to treatment; Some factors are related to lymphoma and others to the patient. One example is:

The stage: The more localized the disease and the better the chances of healing;

The volume of tumor (s): A small tumor is easier to treat. The issue of tumor volume is important, especially when the tumour is located at the mediastinum ganglia. Indeed, in Hodgkin lymphomas, the most voluminous tumor masses are most often located in the mediastinum;

The presence or not of biological inflammation: this is defined in particular by an increase in the rate of sedimentation;

The rate of lymphocytes in the blood: a decrease in the number of lymphocytes causes a decrease in immune defenses;

Age: Patients aged under 50 years often have a more favorable response than older patients. Thus, for reasons that are still unknown, the prognosis of lymphomas in young subjects is generally better than in older adults. In addition, younger patients are better able to withstand the adverse effects of treatment because they generally have fewer health problems (such as pulmonary or cardiac diseases) that limit therapeutic options or doses . However, the more young a patient is, the more important it is to limit the late consequences of treatments such as the risk of fertility disorders.