How to investigate and make diagnosis for Lymphoma?
Swelling of lymph gland is a common symptom for lymphoma. However, infections of head and neck regions (such as tonsillitis), pulmonary tuberculosis or malignant tumors spreading from other sites can also cause swelling of lymph gland in the neck and it may make it difficult to differentiate lymphoma from other conditions.
In addition to thorough history and physical examination, assessment of the affected lymph gland through lymph gland biopsy is the only way to determine if the swelling is a lymphoma or not.
Once the diagnosis of lymphoma is confirmed, patient needs further testing to check his/her general health, how far the lymphoma has spread, and the prognosis. The testing includes blood tests, X-ray, computerised tomography (CT) scan with or without positron emission tomography (PET) scan and bone marrow examination.
When the testing is complete, it should be possible to determine the stage of lymphoma. The stage of lymphoma can be I, II, III, or IV depending on how far the lymphoma has spread.