Hodgkin's Lymphoma

Lymphoma is a type of cancer that begins in cells of the lymph system. There are two basic categories of lymphomas. One kind is Hodgkin's lymphoma, which is marked by the presence of a type of cell called the Reed-Sternberg cell. The other category is non-Hodgkin's lymphomas, which includes a large, diverse group of cancers of immune system cells. Non-Hodgkin's lymphomas can be further divided into cancers that have an indolent (slow-growing) course and those that have an aggressive (fast-growing) course. These subtypes behave and respond to treatment differently. Both Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's lymphomas can occur in children and adults.

Symptoms and Diagnosis

These symptoms may be caused by Hodgkin's lymphoma or by other conditions:

• Painless, swollen lymph nodes in the neck, underarm, or groin.
• Fever for no known reason.
• Drenching night sweats.
• Weight loss for no known reason.
• Itchy skin.
• Feeling very tired.

To diagnose Hodgkin's lymphoma, the following tests and procedures may be used:

• Physical exam.
• Complete blood count (CBC).
• Sedimentation rate: A procedure in which a sample of blood is drawn and checked for the rate at which the red blood cells settle to the bottom of the test tube.
• Blood chemistry studies: A procedure in which a blood sample is checked to measure the amounts of certain substances released into the blood by organs and tissues in the body. An unusual (higher or lower than normal) amount of a substance can be a sign of disease in the organ or tissue that produces it.
• Lymph node biopsy: The removal of all or part of a lymph node that is then viewed under a microscope and checked for signs of disease.
• Immunophenotyping: A test in which the cells in a sample of blood or bone marrow are looked at under a microscope to find out if malignant lymphocytes (cancer) began from the B lymphocytes or the T lymphocytes.

Causes

All cancers are caused by dysfunctions of proteins involved in cell division, apoptosis, or DNA repair (see general characteristics). Dysfunctional proteins may arise from gene mutations or protein interactions with environments such as viral proteins.  Being infected with the Epstein-Barr virus is known to increase the chance of developing Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Reference:

National Cancer Institute, USA.