Hodgkin’s disease is a type of cancer that develops in the lymphatic system, which is a part of the body’s immune system. It can occur in both, adults and children. Lymph nodes get enlarged for many reasons. A few simple tests conducted by your doctor, will help him determine the cause of the disease.

To understand Hodgkin's disease, it is helpful to know about normal cells and what happens when they become cancerous. The body is made up of many types of cells. Normally, cells grow and divide to produce more cells only when the body needs them. This orderly process helps keep the body healthy. Sometimes cells keep dividing when new cells are not needed, creating a mass of extra tissue. This mass is called a growth or tumor. Tumors can be either benign (not cancerous) or malignant (cancerous).

In Hodgkin's disease, cells in the lymphatic system become abnormal. They divide too rapidly and grow without any order or control. Because lymphatic tissue is present in many parts of the body, Hodgkin's disease can start almost anywhere. Hodgkin's disease may occur in a single lymph node, a group of lymph nodes, or, sometimes, in other parts of the lymphatic system such as the bone marrow and spleen. This type of cancer tends to spread in a fairly orderly way from one group of lymph nodes to the next group. For example, Hodgkin's disease that arises in the lymph nodes in the neck spreads first to the nodes above the collarbones, and then to the lymph nodes under the arms and within the chest. Eventually, it can spread to almost any other part of the body.

The following also are some of the risk factors associated with this disease:

• Age/Sex -- Hodgkin's disease occurs most often in people between 15 and 34 and in people over the age of 55. It is more common in men than in women.
• Family History -- Brothers and sisters of those with Hodgkin's disease have a higher-than-average chance of developing this disease.
• Viruses -- Epstein-Barr virus is an infectious agent that may be associated with an increased chance of getting Hodgkin's disease.
• People with certain medical conditions, like autoimmune diseases, HIV and organ transplant are at a higher risk of getting Hodgkin’s disease
• Certain inherent genetic conditions or environmental factor might trigger this disease

Symptoms of Hodgkin’s Disease
Symptoms of Hodgkin's disease may include the following:

• A painless swelling in the lymph nodes in the neck, underarm, or groin
• Unexplained recurrent fevers
• Night sweats
• Unexplained weight loss
• Itchy skin

When symptoms like these occur and persist, it is important to see a doctor so that any illness can be diagnosed and treated. Only a doctor can make a diagnosis of Hodgkin's disease. Do not wait to feel pain; early Hodgkin's disease may not cause pain

Diagnosis and staging of Hodgkin's disease

If Hodgkin's disease is suspected, the doctor asks about the person's medical history and performs a physical exam to check general signs of health. The exam includes feeling to see if the lymph nodes in the neck, underarm, or groin are enlarged. The doctor may order blood tests and imaging services including X-Ray, CT scan or MRI.
Biopsy is performed by a surgeon by removing a sample of lymphatic tissue (part or all of a lymph node) so that a pathologist can examine it under a microscope to check for cancer cells.
If the biopsy reveals Hodgkin's disease, the doctor needs to learn the stage, or extent, of the disease. Staging is a careful attempt to find out whether the cancer has spread and, if so, what parts of the body are affected. Treatment decisions depend on these findings.
The doctor considers the following to determine the stage of Hodgkin's disease:

• The number and location of affected lymph nodes;
• Whether the affected lymph nodes are on one or both sides of the diaphragm (the thin muscle under the lungs and heart that separates the chest from the abdomen); and
• Whether the disease has spread to the bone marrow, spleen, or places outside the lymphatic system, such as the liver.

In staging, the doctor may use some of the same tests used for the diagnosis of Hodgkin's disease. Other staging procedures may include additional biopsies of lymph nodes, the liver, bone marrow, or other tissue. A bone marrow biopsy involves removing a sample of bone marrow through a needle inserted into the hip or another large bone.
 A pathologist examines tissue samples under a microscope to check for cancer cells.

 

Management
In recent years, many advances have been made in treating Hodgkin’s disease. Most of the patients diagnosed during their early stage are cured with chemotherapy and / or radiation therapy. The treatments for Hodgkin’s disease are based on the stage of the disease. However, factors that are unique to an individual, may alter standard therapy. Some of these factors include the person’s age, general health and the type, stage, and site of the disease. After Hodgkin’s disease is staged, the cancer care team will discuss the treatment options.
The treatment options for Hodgkin’s disease are :

• Chemotherapy
• Radiation therapy

Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the use of drugs for killing cancer cells. The drugs can be taken orally, in pill or in liquid form. They can also be injected into a vein under the skin or in a muscle. Chemotherapy is a systemic therapy, which means the drugs enter the bloodstream and circulate throughout your body to reach and destroy cancer cells. Multiple drugs are always used in chemotherapy for Hodgkin’s disease, because different drugs kill cancer cells in different ways.

Radiation Therapy
Radiation therapy kills or shrinks cancer cells by using high-energy rays (such as X-rays). The radiation may come from outside the body (external radiation) or from radioactive materials placed directly in the tumour (internal or implant radiation). External beam radiation therapy is usually given in daily doses, 5 days a week, for few weeks. If Hodgkin’s disease recurs after initial treatment, it can be treated with further chemotherapy, stem cell and bone marrow transplant.

Side Effects
Unwanted side effects may sometimes occur, as cancer treatment can damage healthy cells and tissues. These side effects depend on many factors, including the type and extent of the treatment. The common side effects are loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, mouth sores, hair loss etc. These side effects are temporary and go away with time. There can also be some long term complications like premature menopause, infertility or heart or lung damage. Most of the side effects are manageable.

Pain Management
The management of pain is an integral part of cancer therapy. Medication are the cornerstone of cancer pain treatment, and their use is aimed at providing the greatest pain relief possible with the fewest number of side effects and the most ease of administration. Your doctor will prescribe a medication that ensures maximum pain relief. Sometimes your doctor might recommend some interventional procedures like surgery and / or injections.

Follow Up Care
In cancer treatment, follow up care is an essential element of the overall treatment plan. Regular checkups will be advised to detect any changes in your health as early as possible.

Methods of treatment

Radiation therapy and chemotherapy are the most common treatments for Hodgkin's disease, although bone marrow transplantation, peripheral stem cell transplantation, and biological therapies are being studied in clinical trials.

Radiation therapy (also called radiotherapy) is the use of high-energy rays to kill cancer cells. Depending on the stage of the disease, treatment with radiation may be given alone or with chemotherapy. Radiation therapy is local therapy; it affects cancer cells only in the treated area. Radiation treatment for Hodgkin's disease usually involves external radiation, which comes from a machine that aims the rays at a specific area of the body. External radiation does not cause the body to become radioactive. Most often, treatment is given on an outpatient basis in a hospital or clinic.

Chemotherapy is the use of drugs to kill cancer cells. Chemotherapy for Hodgkin's disease usually consists of a combination of several drugs. It may be given alone or followed by radiation therapy.
Chemotherapy is usually given in cycles: a treatment period followed by a recovery period, then another treatment period, and so on. Most anticancer drugs are given by injection into a blood vessel (IV); some are given by mouth. Chemotherapy is a systemic therapy, meaning that the drugs enter the bloodstream and travel throughout the body.
Usually, a patient has chemotherapy as an outpatient (at the hospital, at the doctor's office, or at home). However, depending on which drugs are given and the patient's general health, a short hospital stay may be needed.

Ask for a Quote