Stage 4. Stage 4 means one of the following: your lymphoma is in an extranodal site and lymph nodes are affected. your lymphoma is in more than one extranodal site, for example the liver, bones or lungs.
NHL is one of the more treatable cancers – Stage 4 non-Hodgkin Lymphoma has a five-year survival rate of 55%!
Stage 4 lymphoma means that cancer has spread to an organ external to the lymphatic system. The survival rates vary widely depending on an individual's risk factors and type of cancer. The survival rate of stage 4 lymphoma is lower than that of the other stages, but doctors can cure the condition in some cases.
Stage 4. Stage 4 is the most advanced stage of lymphoma. Lymphoma that has started in the lymph nodes and spread to at least one body organ outside the lymphatic system (for example, the lungs, liver, bone marrow or solid bones) is advanced lymphoma.
People with NHL most often die from infections, bleeding or organ failure resulting from metastases. A serious infection or sudden bleeding can quickly lead to death, even if someone doesn't appear very ill.
Stage III-IV lymphomas are common, still very treatable, and often curable, depending on the NHL subtype. Stage III and stage IV are now considered a single category because they have the same treatment and prognosis.
Stages III and IV
The ABVD regimen (for at least 6 cycles) is often used, but some doctors favor more intense treatment with the Stanford V regimen for 3 cycles, or up to 8 cycles of the BEACOPP regimen if there are several unfavorable prognostic factors.
Stage 4. More than 70 out of 100 people (more than 70%) will survive their Hodgkin lymphoma for 5 years or more after being diagnosed.
Patients may live for years following treatment for stage 4 cancer. Specific treatment options depend on the type and location of cancer, as well as the patient's overall health, but the goal is to try to slow or stop the growth of cancer cells, reduce symptoms and side effects, and improve quality of life.
No one can say for certain how you'll feel but death from lymphoma is usually comfortable and painless. If you are in pain, however, medication is available to relieve this.
Stage IV. This stage means that the cancer has spread to other organs or parts of the body. It may be also called advanced or metastatic cancer.
Stage 4 lymphoma is treatable. Aggressive rounds of chemotherapy are often given as a first-line treatment for lymphoma at this stage.
In practice, most people with high grade NHL have treatment as if it is an advanced cancer. This usually means quite intensive chemotherapy treatment with 3 or 4 different drugs, over 6 to 8 months. You have some or all of these drugs into your bloodsteam.
There is a chance that your treatment can increase the risk of getting another type of cancer in the future. This is because both chemotherapy drugs and radiotherapy work by damaging cells. They kill the lymphoma cells, but they can damage healthy cells too.
Lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma or Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia.
This is a rare, slow-growing type of lymphoma. It's found mainly in the bone marrow, lymph nodes, and spleen. This type of lymphoma can't be cured. But people can live with it for many years.
Burkitt lymphoma grows very rapidly, which means that symptoms usually develop quickly, over just a few days or weeks. The most common symptom is one or more lumps, which often develop in several parts of your body. These are swollen lymph nodes.
Stages III, IV, and most stage II bulky lymphomas
The chemo can be a single chemo drug (such as bendamustine or fludarabine) or a combination of drugs, such as the CHOP (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, prednisone) or CVP (cyclophosphamide, vincristine, prednisone) regimens.
Stage 4 is the most severe stage of cancer, but it is not always terminal. Doctors use a wide range of factors to classify cancer's stage, including the size and locations of tumors and the person's overall health.
This was nearly 10 years ago. Looking forward, in April 2022, Ed was declared to have “no evidence of disease” and remains so to this day. After surviving stage 4 Lung Cancer, Ed is determined to help others, so he has become an advocate, leading efforts to improve the lives of people diagnosed with lung cancer.
Your doctor won't be able to give you an exact answer. Everyone is different, and no one can say exactly how long you will live.
The most common sites are in the chest, neck, or under the arms. Hodgkin lymphoma most often spreads through the lymph vessels from lymph node to lymph node. Rarely, late in the disease, it can invade the bloodstream and spread to other parts of the body, such as the liver, lungs, and/or bone marrow.
Lymphoma is a cancer of the lymphatic system, which is part of the body's germ-fighting network. The lymphatic system includes the lymph nodes (lymph glands), spleen, thymus gland and bone marrow. Lymphoma can affect all those areas as well as other organs throughout the body.
Burkitt lymphoma: Considered the most aggressive form of lymphoma, this disease is one of the fastest growing of all cancers. Burkitt lymphoma, named for the surgeon who first identified the cancer in the 1950s, accounts for about 2 percent of all lymphoma diagnoses.