VETINUITY
What do the lymphoma substages record?
Substage a indicates no systemic signs; substage b indicates systemic illness.
● ANSWER
Sourced & dated
What do canine lymphoma stages describe?
The WHO staging scheme describes how far canine lymphoma extends anatomically; substage a or b separately records whether systemic signs are absent or present.
● WHAT'S DOCUMENTED
Read stage as distribution
Stage I is limited to a node or lymphoid tissue in a single organ; stage II is regional nodal involvement, and stage III is generalized nodal disease.
Stage IV adds liver or spleen involvement; stage V includes blood, bone marrow or other organ-system involvement within the scheme.
Keep substage separate from treatment selection
Substage a indicates no systemic signs; substage b indicates systemic illness. Imaging and assessment of marrow involvement may be needed for staging.
The CHOP treatment discussion addresses a separate question from describing disease distribution.
Related reading
● SOURCES
- 1. Merck: Lymphoma in dogs. Staging; WHO Clinical Staging System table. Checked 2026-10-23.
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