Hodgkin's Disease Treatment & Symptom

Hodgkin's disease is a type of cancer called a lymphoma , which is a cancer of the lymphatic system. It's named after the British physician Thomas Hodgkin, who first described the disease in 1832 and noted several characteristics that distinguish it from other lymphomas. The lymphatic system is the system in the body that is responsible for fighting off infections and keeping you healthy. It's made up of your tonsils, spleen, bone marrow, and chains of lymph nodes (rounded masses of tissue found throughout the body). Although many types of cancer can spread to the lymph system, lymphoma actually begins in the cells of the lymph system itself. The two main types of lymphoma are Hodgkin's disease (also called Hodgkin's lymphoma) and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, which are classified by certain unique characteristics of the cancer cells. Hodgkin's disease is most common in two different age groups young adults (ages 15 to 35) and older adults (over age 50). It is somewhat more common in males than females. Because of progress made in the treatment of Hodgkin's disease, the American Cancer Society states that most people with this cancer be cured with chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

Hodgkin's disease also known as Hodgkin's lymphoma is an uncommon cancer of the lymphatic system, which is part of your immune system. The first sign of Hodgkin's disease is often an enlarged lymph node. The disease can spread to nearby lymph nodes. Later it may spread to the lungs, liver or bone marrow. The cause is unknown. There is strong evidence that, in some people, Epstein-Barr virus infection causes B lymphocytes to become cancerous and transform into Reed-Sternberg cells. Although there are some families in which more than one person has Hodgkin's disease, the disease does not appear to be contagious. In the United States in 2004, there were about 7,880 new cases of Hodgkin's disease, compared with 54,320 new cases of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Each year, about 1,300 Americans die of Hodgkin's disease. However, death rates for this disease have dropped by 60 percent since the 1970s. Advances in diagnosis, staging and treatment of Hodgkin's disease have helped to make this once uniformly fatal disease highly treatable with the potential for full recovery.

Causes of Hodgkin's Disease

Common Causes of Hodgkin's Disease :

• Anyone with a brother or a sister who has the disease faces an increased risk of developing Hodgkin's, though this may be due to similar environmental exposures rather than genetic factors.
• People between the ages of 15 and 40, as well as those older than 55, are most at risk of Hodgkin's disease.
• Having a compromised immune system, such as from HIV/AIDS or from having an organ transplant requiring medications to suppress your immune response, also appears to put you at a greater risk of Hodgkin's lymphoma.
• People who have had illnesses caused by the Epstein-Barr virus, such as infectious mononucleosis, may be four times as likely to develop Hodgkin's disease as people who haven't had a past Epstein-Barr infection.

Symptoms of Hodgkin's Disease

Some common Symptoms of Hodgkin's Disease :

• Weight loss.
• Sweating, particularly at night.
• Loss of appetite.
• Itchy skin.
• Unexplained weight loss.
• Fever and chills.
• Tiredness.
• Night sweats.
• Persistent fatigue.

Treatment of Hodgkin's Disease

• Bone marrow transplant .
• Radiation therapy.
• Chemotherapy.