Hodgkin's Lymphoma

Question 1

What are lymphomas?

Answer 1

Disorder caused by malignant proliferation of lymphocytes

Question 2

What are some risk factors for HL?

Answer 2

An affected sibling, Epstein-Barr virus, Lupus

Question 3

What cells found histologically is characteristic of HL?

Answer 3

Reed-Sternberg cells

Question 4

What do Reed-Sternberg cells look like?

Answer 4

Mirror-image nuclei

Question 5

What are signs and symptoms of HL?

Answer 5

Fever and sweating, lymphadenopathy, systemic B symptoms, painful nodes on drinking alcohol

Question 6

What might happen to superficial lymph nodes?

Answer 6

They might become enlarged, non-tender and rubbery

Question 7

What are B signs?

Answer 7

Fever, weight loss, night sweats, itching, lethargy

Question 8

What tests would you do?

Answer 8

FBC, CXR, PET scan, histology

Question 9

What blood test results would you expect?

Answer 9

Anaemia, high ESR

Question 10

What chemo drugs cure about 80% of patients?

Answer 10

ABVD

Question 11

What staging system is used for lymphoma?

Answer 11

Ann Arbor system

Question 12

What is Stage I?

Answer 12

Confined to a single lymph node region

Question 13

What is Stage II?

Answer 13

Involvement of two or more nodal areas on the same side of the diaphragm

Question 14

What is Stage III?

Answer 14

Involvement of nodes on both sides of the diaphragm

Question 15

What is Stage IV?

Answer 15

Spread beyond lymph nodes

Question 16

What does A mean?

Answer 16

No B symptoms, other than pruritis

Question 17

What would you see on a CXR?

Answer 17

Wide mediastinum

Question 18

What does ABVD stand for?

Answer 18

Adriamycin, Bleomycin, Vinblastine, Dacarbizine

Question 19

Other than chemo, what could you do?

Answer 19

Autologous marrow transplant