Hodgkin's Lymphoma Support Group

Each stage of Hodgkin's disease is broken down into two substages (A and B) based on symptoms. The B stage always indicates the presence of certain symptoms: loss of more than 10 percent of body weight in the previous 6 months, fever without any known cause other than Hodgkin's disease, and night sweats that leave the body soaked.

Stage I: If the cancer is above the diaphragm and does not involve a large part of the chest.

Stage II
Either of the following may be true:

* Cancer is found in two or more lymph node areas on the same side of the diaphragm (the thin muscle under the lungs that helps us breathe).
* Cancer is found in only one area or organ outside of the lymph nodes and in the lymph nodes around it. Other lymph node areas on the same side of the diaphragm may also have cancer.

Stage III

Cancer is found in lymph node areas on both sides of the diaphragm. The cancer may also have spread to an area or organ near the lymph node areas and/or to the spleen.

Stage IV

Either of the following may be true:

* Cancer has spread in more than one spot to an organ or organs outside the lymph system. Cancer cells may or may not be found in the lymph nodes near these organs.
* Cancer has spread to only one organ outside the lymph system, but lymph nodes far away from that organ are involved.


So, basically it all depends on where your cancer is that determines your stage.