Hodgkin Lymphoma: Risks, Symptoms and Treatment

Hodgkin lymphoma, also called Hodgkin disease, is a cancer that starts in the lymph system — part of the immune system, which protects the body from infection and disease. The lymph system is made of tissues and organs that produce, store and carry white blood cells:

• bone marrow
• lymph nodes
• lymphatic vessels
• the spleen
• the thymus
• the tonsils

Hodgkin lymphoma is one of the two main types of lymphoma; the other is non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Each starts in a different kind of white blood cell.

Who is at risk

The cause is unknown, but some people are more likely to develop it:

Symptoms

• painless, swollen lymph nodes in the neck, armpit or groin
• fever with no known cause
• drenching night sweats
• weight loss with no known cause in the past six months
• itchy skin, especially after bathing or drinking alcohol
• fatigue

Diagnosis

A health care provider will ask about your symptoms and medical history and check for lumps or anything unusual, and may order:

• lab tests — a complete blood count, blood chemistry, a lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) test, an erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) test, and tests to rule out other conditions;
• imaging — CT and PET (positron emission tomography) scans;
• a lymph node biopsy.

Treatment

• chemotherapy
• radiation therapy
• targeted therapy — drugs or other substances that attack specific cancer cells with less harm to normal ones
• immunotherapy

Hodgkin lymphoma can usually be cured if it is found and treated early.

Sources

Based on "Hodgkin Lymphoma," MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine, with content from the NIH's National Cancer Institute; a work of the United States government in the public domain.