Do Hodgkin Lymphoma patients tend to have relapses? (Caitlin, Washington, 15, stage 2 B Hogkins Lymphoma)

Hodgkin Lymphoma – also called Hodgkin Disease - is one of the most common types of cancer in adolescents and young adults.  Hodgkin Lymphoma is a solid tumor that occurs in the lymph nodes of patients and spreads directly from one lymph node to another (usually without skipping any lymph nodes in between).  To determine the stage of Hodgkin Lymphoma, doctors will check to see how many lymph nodes are involved, which side of the body is involved (top, bottom, or both), and how big the lymph nodes have grown.  They also will ask if there have been any fevers, night sweats, or weight loss – which are called 'B' symptoms.  After an initial biopsy, patients with Hodgkin Lymphoma are treated with either chemotherapy alone, or a combination of chemotherapy and radiation therapy.  There are several different types of Hodgkin Lymphoma but most are treated the same way.  Fortunately, Hodgkin Lymphoma is one of the most curable types of cancer that adolescents and young adults can get.

The rate of cure is best for patients with early stage disease (Stage I-II): 80 to 90 percent of these low stage patients will be cured without relapse.  In the higher stage (Stage III-IV) patients with more advanced disease, 60 to 70 percent will be cured without relapse. 

Even if a patient with Hodgkin Lymphoma does relapse, up to 80% can still achieve a second remission with second (or third) line treatment regimens.  Selected patients with poor prognosis after first relapse, patients with a second relapse, and patients with progressive disease are candidates for high dose chemotherapy and bone marrow transplantation.  The cure rates after transplantation are also good, with some studies reporting cures of 60% in these very high risk patients.

Because the cure rates are so high for Hodgkin Lymphoma, pediatric oncologists like to take care of patients with this disease.  There is no such thing as a "good cancer" to have, but at least the therapy for Hodgkin Lymphoma is well-tolerated and the patients often do very, very well.