In addition to biopsy and blood work, which tests are typically used to stage lymphoma?

• A. Imaging tests such as CT and PET scans
• B. Urinalysis only
• C. Bone density scan
• D. Allergy testing

Answer: (A)

When staging lymphoma, you need to map how far the disease has spread beyond the biopsy-proven site. Imaging tests are essential for this because they visualize the body's organs and lymph nodes to show where cancer is located and how extensive it is. CT scans provide detailed anatomical pictures, helping measure lymph node sizes and detect involvement of the chest, abdomen, pelvis, spleen, or liver. PET scans reveal areas of increased metabolic activity typical of cancer, which can uncover affected sites that may look normal on CT alone. Combining PET with CT (PET-CT) offers both metabolic and anatomical information, making staging more accurate and guiding treatment decisions.

The other options don’t give a full view of disease distribution: urinalysis doesn’t assess nodal or organ involvement, bone density scans measure bone mineral density rather than cancer spread, and allergy testing has no role in staging lymphoma.