Hodgkin’s
lymphoma is a rare cancer of the lymphatic system. Hodgkin's comprises
less than 1% of all cancer diagnosises each year. About 1 in 100,000
people will be diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma.
A
person with Hodgkin's disease has abnormal
cells in their lymph nodes. These cells look different. Doctors named
these
cells Reed-Sternberg cells. They are cancer cells which don't just look
different, but act differently too. They grow faster than normal cells,
sometimes destroy good cells, and can also spread to other parts of the
body. Depending on the type of lymphoma
and whether it
is confined to a single group of lymph nodes or affects many lymph
nodes,
treatment may include radiation therapy, chemotherapy, or, in serious
cases, a
bone marrow transplant or stem cell transplant.
Pathologists
currently use the World Health Organization (WHO) modification
of the Revised European-American Lymphoma (REAL) classification for the
histologic classification for adult Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
WHO/REAL Classification for Adult
Hodgkin's Disease
- Classical
Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
- Nodular
sclerosis Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
- Mixed
cellularity Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
- Lymphocyte
depletion Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
- Lymphocyte-rich
classical Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
- Nodular
lymphocyte-predominant Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
Adult Hodgkin's
lymphoma may be classified as follows:
- A: The patient
has no symptoms.
- B: The patient
has symptoms such as fever, weight loss, or night sweats.
- E: "E" stands
for extranodal and means the cancer is found in an organ or tissue
other than the lymph nodes or extends to tissues beyond, but near, the
major lymphatic areas.
- S:
"S" stands for spleen
and means the cancer is found in the spleen.
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