Hodgkin's lymphoma is a malignancy (cancer) of lymph tissue found in the lymph nodes, spleen, liver, and bone marrow.

The first sign of this cancer is often an enlarged lymph node which appears without a known cause. The disease can spread to nearby lymph nodes and later may spread to the lungs, liver, or bone marrow.

The cause is not known. Hodgkin's lymphoma is most common among people 15 to 35 and 50 to 70 years old.

• Painless swelling of the lymph nodes in the neck, armpits, or groin (swollen glands)
• Fatigue
• Fever and chills
• Night sweats
• Weight loss
• Loss of appetite
• Generalized itching

• Excessive sweating
• Skin blushing or flushing
• Neck pain
• Hair loss
• Flank pain
• Clubbing of the fingers or toes
• Splenomegaly

The disease may be diagnosed after:

• A lymph node biopsy
• A bone marrow biopsy
• A biopsy of suspected tissue
• Detection of Reed-Sternberg (Hodgkin's lymphoma) cells by biopsy

A staging evaluation (tumor staging) may be done to determine the extent of the disease. The following procedures may be done:

• Physical examination
• CT scans of the chest, abdomen, and pelvis
• Bone marrow biopsy
• Blood chemistry tests
• PET scan  

In some cases, abdominal surgery to take a piece of the liver and remove the spleen may be needed. However, because the other tests are now so good at detecting the spread of Hodgkin's lymphoma, this surgery is usually unnecessary.

Hodgkin's lymphoma may change the results of the following tests:

• Lymphocyte count
• Small bowel biopsy
• Schirmer's test
• Peritoneal fluid analysis
• Mediastinoscopy with biopsy
• Gallium scan
• Ferritin
• Cytology exam of pleural fluid
• Cryoglobulins
• Bone marrow aspiration
• Blood differential
• ACE levels