Hodgkin's Disease - Causes, Symptoms and Treatment Methods

Hodgkin's disease is a type of cancer such as lymphoma, a cancer of the lymphatic system. Hodgkin's has a long and rich history. The disease was Thomas Hodgkin, an English scholar and Quaker physician named Guy's Hospital in England. Hodgkin's disease, is sometimes called Hodgkin's lymphoma, a cancer that starts in lymphoid tissue. It 'is named after the English physician Thomas Hodgkin, who first described the disease in 1832 and noted some features with the nameThey differ from other lymphomas. Hodgkin's lymphoma is characterized clinically by the orderly spread of disease from one group to another node and the development of systemic symptoms with advanced disease by. Pathologically the disease is characterized by the presence of Reed-Sternberg cells. In the United States, approximately 1,700 children and adolescents under the age of 20 years diagnosed with lymphoma each year. Hodgkin's disease enlarges the lymphatic tissue, which can then lead toPressure on important structures. It can spread through the lymphatic vessels to other lymph nodes. In Hodgkin's disease, cells in the lymphatic system become abnormal. They divide too rapidly and grow without order or control. Because lymphatic tissue is present in many parts of the body, Hodgkin's disease can start almost anywhere.

Hodgkin's lymphoma was one of the first cancers to be rendered curable by combination chemotherapy. Lymph nodes are oval, peaOrgans. They are located under the skin along the path of the large blood vessels, and are in areas like the neck, armpits, groin, abdomen (trunk) and pelvis (hips) activities. Hodgkin's disease can occur in a single lymph node, a group of lymph nodes, or sometimes in other parts of the lymphatic system, such as bone marrow and spleen. This cancer tends to spread in a fairly ordered by a group of lymph nodes to the next group. Because lymphatic tissue is present inmany parts of the body, Hodgkin's disease can start almost anywhere, but most often starts in lymph nodes in the upper body. The most common sites are the chest, neck or underarm. And 'one of two common types of cancer of the lymphatic system. Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, the other type is very common. In the United States in 2004 were about 7880 new cases of Hodgkin's disease, compared with 54 320 new cases of non-Hodgkin's disease lymphoma.Hodgkin 's is rare inChildren under 5 years. In children under 10 years is more common in boys than girls.

Causes of Hodgkin's disease

The most common causes and risk factors for Hodgkin's disease are as follows:

The exact cause of Hodgkin's disease is unknown.

The people, the Epstein-Barr virus, which can cause infectious mononucleosis (mono), may be a slightly increased risk of Crohn's have had.

Many factors, such assuch as age and genetics - is probably beyond our control.

Environmental or lifestyle variables.

Family members of patients with the disease.

It is more common in men than in women.

Symptoms of Hodgkin's disease

Some sign and symptoms related to Hodgkin's disease are as follows:

Fever and chills.

Night sweats.

Painless swelling of lymph nodesin the neck, armpit or groin.

Children who think that Hodgkin's disease sometimes have the flu. You may have fever, feel achy or swollen glands, which look and feel like bumps that often in the neck or groin.

Itching on the trunk of the body.

Unusual back or abdominal pain.

Fatigue.

Unexplained weight loss.

Shortness of breath.

The treatment of Hodgkin'sDisease

Here is the list of methods for the treatment of Hodgkin's disease:

If the disease is confined to a limited area, radiation therapy is the treatment of choice.

To allow treatment with stem cell transplantation with high doses of chemotherapy.

Biological therapies, the use of naturally occurring substances to stop the immune system to lymphoma progression.

Bone marrow transplantation.

For patientswith clinical stage IA disease, and is nonbulky the mediastinum with NS histology, mantle irradiation alone may be adequate treatment.

Combination therapy, chemotherapy for 4-6 cycles involved field radiation therapy is followed, is used.

The regime used is called ABVD and consists of four chemotherapy drugs. These drugs are administered intravenously (into a vein) every 14 days, often administered up to 12 times.