According to the Mayo Clinic, the symptoms of Hodgkin's are similar to those of other disorders, such as influenza, making Hodgkin's difficult to diagnose. A tissue sample (biopsy) of an enlarged lymph node is needed to make the diagnosis.
Some distinctive characteristics that help diagnose Hodgkin's disease include:
- Orderly spread
- Only rare "skipping"
Other procedures that may be valuable in evaluating Hodgkin's disease include:
- X-ray
- computerized tomography (CT) scan
- magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
- positron emission tomography (PET) scan
- bone marrow biopsy and
- blood tests
- If the disease is predominantly in your abdomen, you may need exploratory surgery to help define the extent of the disease.
Staging Hodgkin's disease
Once the diagnosis is confirmed, doctors "stage" the disease. Staging is how doctors judge the extent of the disease, which will likely affect treatment options.
- Stage I. The cancer is limited to one lymph node region.
- Stage II. In this stage, the cancer is in two different lymph nodes, but is limited to a section of the body either above or below the diaphragm.
- Stage III. When the cancer moves to lymph nodes both above and below the diaphragm, but hasn't spread to other organs, it's considered stage III.
- Stage IV. This is the most advanced stage of Hodgkin's disease. Stage IV Hodgkin's disease affects not only the lymph nodes but also other parts of your body, such as the bone marrow or your liver.
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