Hodgkin's disease is cancer of the lymph tissue found in the spleen, lymph nodes and bone marrow. The lymphatic system is part of the immune system that fights infection. MD Anderson Cancer Center states that since lymph nodes are located in various parts of the body, Hodgkin's disease can start just about any place in the body.
Types of Hodgkin's Disease
The five distinct types of Hodgkin's disease are: nodular sclerosing Hodgkin's lymphoma; lymphocyte-rich classical Hodgkin's lymphoma; mixed cellularity Hodgkin's lymphoma; lymphocyte depletion Hodgkin's lymphoma; and nodular lymphocyte predominance Hodgkin's lymphoma. Of these types, the most common is nodular sclerosing, attributing to 60 to 80 percent of all Hodgkin's lymphoma cases. The least common at less than 5 percent is lymphocyte depletion.
Symptoms
Symptoms of Hodgkin's disease include fever or chills, night sweats, lack of energy, itching, unexplained weight loss and painless swelling of the lymph nodes in the neck, groin and armpits. Diagnostic testing, such as a lymph node biopsy, bone marrow biopsy, blood tests, chest x-ray and CT scan, provides criteria to determine the diagnosis and stage of Hodgkin's disease.
Staging
Staging of Hodgkin's disease considers the amount and location of the cancer cells. Stage I indicates cancer cells are in only one lymph node group or region. In stage II, the cancer is in two lymph nodes or in one lymph node and the tissue of a nearby organ. A report of stage III requires documentation of the cancer in lymph nodes above and below the diaphragm and in one internal organ, such as the spleen. Mayo Clinic states that stage IV Hodgkin's disease affects the lymph nodes and several organs or tissues in the body, such as the lungs, liver and bones.
Treatment
The treatment for Hodgkin's disease depends on the type of lymphoma, the stage, the size of the tumor, the patient's age and general medical condition. Treatment types used alone or in any combination include bone marrow and stem cell transplantation, chemotherapy and radiation.
Prognosis
Merck Manuals, an online medical library, states that the cure rate is high with chemotherapy, with or without radiation therapy. People with stage I or II Hodgkin's disease treated with chemotherapy followed by radiation therapy experience more than 80 percent cure rate. Stage III disease shows 70 to 80 percent and stage IV shows above 50 percent cure rate. The cure rate for people who go into remission and relapse is 50 percent or higher.
