Wikipedia (Hodgkin's Disease)
Hodgkin's lymphoma, also known as Hodgkin's disease, is a type of lymphoma (cancer originating from a type of white blood cells called lymphocytes). It was named after Thomas Hodgkin, who first described abnormalities in the lymph system in 1832.[1]
Hodgkin's lymphoma is characterized by the orderly spread of disease from one lymph node group to another, and by the development of systemic symptoms with advanced disease. The disease is characterized by the presence of Reed-Sternberg cells (RS cells) on microscopic examination. Hodgkin lymphoma was one of the first cancers which could be cured using radiation therapy and, later, it was one of the first to be cured by combination chemotherapy.
The disease occurrence shows two peaks: the first in young adulthood (age 15–35) and the second in those over 55 years old. The survival rate is generally 90% or higher when the disease is detected during early stages, making it one of the more curable forms of cancer.[2] Hodgkin's lymphoma is one of the handful of cancers that, even in its later stages, has a very high cure rate, in the 90's.[3]
Most patients who are able to be successfully treated (and thus enter remission) generally go on and live long and normal lives, due to a remission success rate of 90% to 95%.
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