Hodgkin’s disease, Hodgkin’s lymphoma /hoj″kinz/ [Thomas Hodgkin, English physician, 1798–1866] , a malignant disorder characterized by painless, progressive enlargement of lymphoid tissue, usually first evident in cervical lymph nodes; splenomegaly; and the presence of Reed-Sternberg cells, large binucleate CD20 (B cell marker)-positive lymphoid/histiocytic cells. Symptoms include anorexia, weight loss, generalized pruritus, low-grade fever, night sweats, anemia, and leukocytosis. The disease is diagnosed in about 7100 Americans annually and causes approximately 1700 deaths a year, affects twice as many males as females, and most often occurs in individuals 25 to 30 years of age and older than 50 years of age. The diagnosis is established by biopsy. The patient undergoes staging to determine the extent of the disease, including computed tomography of the chest and abdomen, complete blood count, biopsy of distant lymph nodes, liver function studies, and bilateral bone marrow biopsies. Radiotherapy, using a covering mantle to protect other organs, is the treatment of choice for early stages of the disease; combination chemotherapy is the treatment for advanced disease. Long-term remissions are achieved in more than half of the patients treated, and 60% to 90% of those with localized disease may be cured. There is a threefold increased risk of development of Hodgkin’s disease in first-degree relatives, suggesting an unknown genetic mechanism.
