Hodgkin's Disease

GENERAL INFORMATION:

What is it? Hodgkin's (hahj-kins) disease is a type of lymphoma (lim-fo-muh). Lymphoma is cancer that starts in the lymphatic (lim-fat-ik) or lymph (limf) system. The lymph system is made up of tiny tubes, like blood vessels, that carry fluid through the body. These vessels carry cells that fight infection and disease. Attached to these lymph vessels are small, bean-shaped lymph nodes.

• Lymph nodes are in your groin, armpit, neck, abdomen (belly). They are also in your chest, behind your knee, and below your collarbone. Hodgkin's disease usually starts in lymph nodes in one part of the body. The cells in these lymph nodes do not grow normally. They then spread from one part of the lymph system to another.
  
  
• With time, the disease may spread to the lungs, liver, bone, and bone marrow. This is called metastasis (meh-tah-stah-sis). With Hodgkin's disease a cell called the Reed-Sternberg cell is found in the affected lymph nodes. Finding Reed-Sternberg cells tells your caregiver that you have Hodgkin's disease. Hodgkin's disease is one of the most common cancers in teens and young adults.

Causes:

• Doctors do not know what causes Hodgkin's disease or how to keep you from getting it. You cannot catch this cancer from someone who has it. Doctors think there might be a link between the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and getting lymphoma. A virus is a germ. EBV also causes infectious mononucleosis (ma-no-new-cle-o-sus) or "mono".
  
  
• Some people with a sister, brother, mother, or father who had Hodgkin's have also gotten Hodgkin's. And people whose bodies do not fight infections well may be at a higher risk for getting Hodgkin's disease. This is because they may have a weak immune system.

Signs and Symptoms: Swollen lymph nodes in the neck, arm, or groin are the most common symptom. These nodes usually do not hurt. You may also have fevers, night sweats, and feel tired. You may lose weight or have itchy skin. After drinking alcohol, some people have pain that comes and goes in the swollen nodes. Your liver or spleen may also be larger than normal.

Care: Many people with newly diagnosed Hodgkin's disease can be treated and cured. But first your caregivers will need to find out in what "stage" the cancer is in. Staging helps caregivers know how far the cancer has spread. There are four stages (I-IV) of Hodgkin's disease. Stage I usually means that one lymph node has cancer in it. Stage IV means that the Hodgkin's disease has spread to other organs. Staging often includes having a lymph node biopsy. You may also need to have blood tests, x-rays, or CT scans.

• Caregivers will then work together with you to decide which types of treatments are best for you. Some of these treatments may keep you from being able to have children. Talk to your caregiver about this. Men may want to have their sperm stored in a sperm bank. Women can have the ovaries moved away from the area where radiation therapy will be used. You will need surgery to move your ovaries.
  
  
• You may also need a kind of surgery called a laparotomy (lap-er-ah-tuh-mee). Once your caregiver decides the stage of the cancer, you may need radiation, chemotherapy, or both. You may also need other surgery.

Support:

• Accepting that you have cancer is hard. You and those close to you may feel angry, depressed, or frightened. These are normal feelings. Talk to your caregivers, family, or friends about your feelings. Let them help you. Encourage those close to you to talk to your caregiver about how things are at home. Your caregiver can help your family better understand how to support a person with cancer.
  
  
• You may also want to join a support group. This is a group of people who also have Hodgkin's disease. Ask your caregiver for the names and numbers of support groups in your town. Or, you can contact one of the following national organizations for more information.

• American Cancer Society
  Phone: 1-800-227-2345
  Web Address: http://www.cancer.org
  

• National Cancer Institute
  Phone: 1-800-422-6237
  Web Address: http://www.cancer.gov
  

• The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Inc.
  1311 Mamaroneck Avenue
  White Plains, NY 10605
  Phone: 1-914-949-5213
  Phone: 1-800-955-4572
  Web Address: http://www.leukemia-lymphoma.org
  

CARE AGREEMENT:

You have the right to help plan your care. To help with this plan, you must learn about your health condition and how it may be treated. You can then discuss treatment options with your caregivers. Work with them to decide what care may be used to treat you. You always have the right to refuse treatment.

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