Famous People With Hodgkin's Disease
Paul Allen- Investor and co-founder of Microsoft Corporation.
Charles Lindbergh- The first pilot to make a transatlantic flight.
Jackie Kennedy- Former First Lady
Gene Wilder- Actor
Learn about leading-edge treatments for Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma today.
Named
after Thomas Hodgkin, a British physician who lived 1798-1866.
Technically, the hallmark sign is the Reed-Sternberg cell, a giant,
multinucleated cell, usually a transformed B lymphocyte, a type of white
blood cell. However, simply put, Hodgkin's disease is the enlargement
of lymph nodes that progresses to involve the liver, spleen, bone
marrow, and lungs. The most common metastatic organs being the liver and
spleen. This disease is spread by the lymphatic system, and is
considered to be the most curable of lymphomas. A malignant lymphoma
whose pathological hallmark being progressive enlargement of the lymph
nodes on the side of the neck that spreads in a contiguous fashion
through the body. The disease may affect people of any age, but occurs
most often in adults in their early 30's. The incidence of the disease
is higher in males than in females, and typically begins with a single
lymph node and spreads to adjacent nodes. If not caught early, it will
travel gradually to lymphatic tissue on both sides of the diaphragm or
spread widely to tissues outside the lymph nodes. The degree of
metastasis defines the state of the disease: early disease. Those with
stage 1 Hodgkin's disease lymphoma have a 90% chance of survival 5 years
of diagnosis. Stage II indicates involvement of an extra lymphatic
organs and one or more nodes on the same side of the diaphragm. With
Stage III there is evidence of disease on both sides of the diaphragm,
often including the spleen. With Stage VI there is involvement of one or
more organs or tissues with or without associated lymph node
involvement.
Earliest Symptoms
Early
symptoms may range from nothing other than a painless lump or enlarged
gland in the armpit or neck. Others may develop fevers,night sweats,
loss of appetite and weight loss.
Etiology
Epstein-Barr virus has been found in the cells of nearly half of all patients with Hodgkin's disease
Treatment
The
goal of therapy is cure. not just palliation of symptoms. Treatment
depends on accurate staging. Combinations of radiation therapy with
chemotherapy have been traditionally used for stages I and II,
chemotherapy for stages III and VI although chemotherapies that rely on
multiple agents used together may be as effective. Bone marrow
transplant or blood stem cell transfusion with chemotherapy also have
been used in treatment, especially on younger patients.Drugs are chosen
according to their effect on different phases of cell growth and
proliferation. Often it is decided to use both chemotherapy and
radiation therapy, especially in treating bulky tumor involvement of
nodes and spleen.
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