Hodgkin's Lymphoma

Hodgkin's lymphoma, previously known as Hodgkin's disease, is a type of lymphoma, which is a cancer originating from white blood cells called lymphocytes. It was named after Thomas Hodgkin, who first described abnormalities in the lymph system in 1832.Hodgkin's lymphoma is characterized by the orderly spread of disease from one lymph node group to another and by the development of systemic symptoms with advanced disease.

Symptoms

· Unexplained weight loss

· Back pain: nonspecific back pain

· Hepatosplenomegaly: the enlargement of both the liver and spleen caused by the same disease.

· Hepatomegaly: enlargement of the liver, due to liver involvement, is present in about 5% of cases.

· Red-coloured patches on the skin, easy bleeding and petechiae due to low platelet count

· Cyclical fever: patients may also present with a cyclical high-grade fever known as the Pel-Ebstein fever

· Lymph nodes: the most common symptom of Hodgkin's is the painless enlargement of one or more lymph nodes. The nodes may also feel rubbery and swollen when examined. The nodes of the neck and shoulders (cervical and supraclavicular) are most frequently involved (80–90% of the time, on average). The lymph nodes of the chest are often affected, and these may be noticed on a chest radiograph.

· Splenomegaly: enlargement of the spleen occurs in about 30% of people with Hodgkin's lymphoma. The enlargement, however, is seldom massive and the size of the spleen may fluctuate during the course of treatment.

Causes

· There are no guidelines for preventing Hodgkin's lymphoma because the cause is unknown or multifactorial

Medical Tests & Diagnosis

The disease may be diagnosed after:

· Biopsy of suspected tissue, usually a lymph node biopsy

· Bone marrow biopsy

The following test are done

· Blood chemistry tests including protein levels, liver function tests, kidney function tests, and uric acid level

· CT scans of the chest, abdomen, and pelvis

· Complete blood count (CBC) to check for anemia and white blood count

· PET scan

Treatments

Radiation therapy : Radiation therapy (also called radiotherapy) is a type of local therapy. It affects cells only in the treated area. Radiation therapy is used alone for small tumors or for patients who cannot have surgery. It may be used before surgery to kill cancer cells and shrink the tumor. It also may be used after surgery to destroy cancer cells that may remain in the area.

Computed tomography (CT) is a medical imaging method employing tomography created by computer processing. Digital geometry processing is used to generate a three-dimensional image of the inside of an object from a large series of two-dimensional X-ray images taken around a single axis of rotation.