Hodgkin disease

Hodgkin disease
or lymphoreticuloma

Most common malignant lymphoma.

It starts with local, painless swelling of lymph nodes and sometimes of the spleen, liver, or other organs, followed by weight loss and weakness. Diagnosis can be confirmed only by biopsy, usually from a lymph node. The cause remains unknown. Treatment with chemotherapy, radiation, or both depends on the stage of the disease. More than 90% of patients diagnosed early can be cured, as can many with advanced disease.

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      an uncommon cancer of the lymphatic system (malignant lymphoma) that usually strikes young adults and people 55 years of age or older. Most patients can be cured if the disease is detected in its early stages, but even those with advanced Hodgkin disease have a significant chance of recovery. The overall cure rate is approximately 75 percent.

      In its early stages the disease is characterized by local, painless swelling of one or more lymph nodes (lymph node) and sometimes by swelling of the spleen, liver, or other organs. In addition to swollen lymph nodes, symptoms may include fever and itching followed later by weight loss and fatigue. A microscopic examination of affected tissue, usually obtained from a lymph node, is required to confirm diagnosis.

      The cause of Hodgkin disease remains unknown, but numerous infectious agents, including bacteria, protozoa, and viruses, have been suggested. Previous infection with the Epstein-Barr virus, the causative agent of mononucleosis, has been linked to many cases of Hodgkin disease. Hodgkin disease tumours develop from B lymphocytes (lymphocyte). Treatment consists of chemotherapy, radiation, or a combination of both, depending on the stage of development of the disease.

      The disease is named after Thomas Hodgkin (Hodgkin, Thomas), who first described it in 1832.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

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  • Hodgkin disease — A type of lymphoma, a cancer that develops in the lymph system, part of the body s immune system. Because there is lymph tissue in many parts of the body, Hodgkin disease can start in almost any part of the body. The cancer can spread to almost… …   Medical dictionary

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  • Hodgkin disease mixed cellularity type — a type of Hodgkin disease intermediate between the lymphocyte predominance and lymphocyte depletion types; Reed Sternberg cells are plentiful and there are more inflammatory cells, such as eosinophils and plasma cells, than in the lymphocyte… …   Medical dictionary

  • Hodgkin disease nodular sclerosis type — a type of Hodgkin disease in which Reed Sternberg cells are in the form of lacunar cells and bands of collagen divide the lymphoid tissue into nodules; there are varying numbers of lymphocytes and inflammatory cells such as eosinophils and plasma …   Medical dictionary

  • Hodgkin disease —  (or Hodgkin’s disease). A cancer of the lymphatic system first described by the British physician Thomas Hodgkin …   Bryson’s dictionary for writers and editors

  • Hodgkin disease — A cancer of the immune system that is marked by the presence of a type of cell called the Reed Sternberg cell. Symptoms include the painless enlargement of lymph nodes, spleen, or other immune tissue. Other symptoms include fever, weight loss,… …   English dictionary of cancer terms

  • Reed-Hodgkin disease — Reed Hodg·kin disease (rēdґ hojґkin) [D. Reed; Thomas Hodgkin, English physician, 1798–1866] Hodgkin disease …   Medical dictionary

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