January 25, 2008

Hodgkin’s lymphoma is a rare form of cancer

Hodgkin’s disease or Hodgkin’s lymphoma is one of a group of cancers called lymphomas. Lymphoma is a general term for cancers that develop in the lymphatic system. Hodgkin’s disease, an uncommon lymphoma, accounts for less than 1 percent of all cases of cancer in the United States. Other cancers of the lymphatic system are called non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

The lymphatic system is part of the body’s immune system. It helps the body fight disease and infection. The lymphatic system includes a network of thin lymphatic vessels that branch, like blood vessels, into tissues throughout the body. Lymphatic vessels carry lymph, a colorless, watery fluid that contains infection-fighting cells called lymphocytes. Along this network of vessels are small organs called lymph nodes. Clusters of lymph nodes are found in the underarms, groin, neck, chest and abdomen. Other parts of the lymphatic system are the spleen, thymus, tonsils and bone marrow. Lymphatic tissue is also found in other parts of the body, including the stomach, intestines and skin.

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 or 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 other nodes under the arms and within the chest.

Eventually, if left untreated, it can spread to almost any other part of the body.

Source: National Cancer Institute

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