Hodgkin’s lymphoma treatments are designed to kill cancer cells and prevent them from growing. Treatment may involve chemotherapy, radiation therapy or a combination of both. It may also include medicines that boost your body’s immune system, such as checkpoint inhibitors. Most cases of hodgkin’s lymphoma are curable, especially in its early stages. It is important to get regular follow-up exams to look for signs of the cancer returning or long-term effects from treatment.
Hodgkin lymphoma develops in the lymphatic system, a network of vessels and glands that spread throughout the body. Clear fluid called lymph flows through this system, carrying infection-fighting white blood cells (lymphocytes). Hodgkin lymphoma occurs when B-lymphocytes become abnormal and begin to grow and collect in the lymphatic vessels or in the lymph nodes. These lymphocytes lose their ability to fight infection and may become cancerous (malignant). Hodgkin lymphoma most often affects adolescents and young adults, but it can occur at any age. Some people, particularly those with a suppressed immune system due to HIV infection or certain medications, are at higher risk of developing Hodgkin lymphoma.
A doctor may suspect Hodgkin lymphoma if a patient has painless swelling of one or more of the lymph nodes in the neck, armpits or groin. The doctor will do a physical examination and take a detailed history of symptoms. The doctor will also order laboratory tests to look for cancer cells and determine how far the disease has spread, a process known as staging.
The results of these tests are used to develop a treatment plan. The type of treatment your doctor prescribes will depend on the stage of your lymphoma and whether or not the cancer has spread.
If the doctor discovers that you have a Hodgkin lymphoma, he or she will assign it a stage based on how far the disease has spread. Staging helps doctors plan your treatment and predict how likely it is to respond to therapy.
Stage 1 (early stage): The cancer is found in a single lymph node region or in a single organ on the same side of your diaphragm.
Stage 2 (localized advanced disease): The cancer is found in two or more lymph node regions on the same side of your diaphragm or in a lymph node area and a nearby organ.
Stage 3 (advanced stage): The cancer is found in lymph node regions above and below the diaphragm or in a regional lymph node plus a nearby organ.
The most common treatment for Hodgkin lymphoma is chemotherapy, which kills cancer cells and keeps them from multiplying. The doses of chemotherapy that your doctor gives you will be determined by the stage of your Hodgkin lymphoma and your general health. Your doctor will also decide how to deliver the chemotherapy, which may be given by mouth or injected into a vein (intravenously). Some patients with Hodgkin lymphoma receive chemotherapy through a tube placed under the skin called a port-a-cath. Other therapies for Hodgkin lymphoma include radiation therapy and immunotherapy, or biologic therapy, which boosts your own immune system to fight the cancer.
