Biopsy Update
They were scanning my neck for lymph nodes to biopsy and we’re like .. umm the tumor is in his chest .. there are no swollen lymph nodes in his neck, but they checked anyways.
So after being scanned for over 4 hours by 4 different people I finally decided to have a surgical biopsy instead. None of the doctors could guarantee that the core sample they would take with the needle would be enough tissue to diagnose the tumor and I would then end up having the surgical procedure anyways.
So now I have to wait until Tuesday for the biopsy and hopefully they can start treating this damn thing.
After the biopsy I am sure they will need to stage the disease:
LYMPHOMA STAGES
Doctors divide lymphomas into stages. These stages help them decide the best form of treatment. Hodgkin’s and non-Hodgkin’s have the same grade and stage scale.
Stage I: One cancer site. No bone marrow affected.
Stage II: Two cancer sites. Both are either above or below the diaphragm. Disease has not spread to bone marrow.
Stage III: Cancer sites above and below the diaphragm. No bone marrow affected.
Stage IV: Bone marrow affected or cancer has spread outside of the lymphatic system.
With Hodgkin’s disease, stages have added letters:
A: No fever, weight loss, or night sweats.
B: Fever, weight loss, or night sweats.
E: Disease has moved into organs outside the lymph system.
