Hodgkin disease (HD)
Chapter: 20b
HD is a malignant neoplasm which is diagnosed by the identification of a classic Reed Sternberg cell in the appropriate cellular background. HD has a bimodal age distribution, the first peak in the 20's and the second peak after the age of 50 years old. HD is unique in that it has a predictable pattern of spread along contiguous lymph node chains. There are 4 subtypes of HD: lymphocyte predominant, mixed cellularity, lymphocyte depletion, and nodular sclerosis. Nodular sclerosis HD is the most common subtype in the younger age group and has a very good prognosis. It is notable that the risk of therapy-related second malignancy is very high in patients treated for HD, and is reported in >15% of patients.