Stages
Stages of AIDS-Related Cancers
Staging is the term oncologists use to define where AIDS-related cancer is located and how much it has spread. Once the stage of AIDS-related cancer is determined, your physician can recommend a particular course of treatment.
Kaposi sarcoma
Most cancer teams use the AIDS Clinical Trials Group system.
T = Tumor: Where is the primary tumor and how large is it?
I = Immune System: What is the CD4 cell count?
S = Systemic Illness: What is the extent of systemic infection or thrush?
It can be difficult to stage AIDS-related Kaposi sarcoma because it comes from a disease that itself affects the entire immune system. For this reason, differentiating between which symptoms are due to Kaposi sarcoma and which symptoms are due to AIDS can be challenging. .
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma is staged using the Roman numerals I, II, III and IV, with IV being the most advanced. A letter may also be added after the Roman numeral to give more information. It may be one of the following:
- B means you are experiencing fever, night sweats or weight loss.
- A means you are asymptomatic (not showing the symptoms above).
- E means the lymphoma has spread outside the lymphatic system.
- S means that lymphoma has been found in your spleen.
.
