|
Hodgkin's
Lymphoma
|
Non-Hodgkin's
Lymphomas
|
Age
|
Average
age is 27.7 with two age peaks, the major one between 15 and 24
with a lesser peak after age 55.
|
Average
age is about 67.
|
| Chance
of getting in all people over an entire lifetime (USA) |
Men
0.23%
Women 0.20% |
Men
2.12%
Women 1.79% |
| Occurrence |
About
15% of all lymphomas |
About
85% of all lymphomas |
Location
|
The
disease occurs most often in lymph nodes above the collar bone. In
Hodgkin's it is also more likely to appear in the chest cavity
between the lungs (the mediastinum), particularly in younger
patients.
Only about 15% to 20% of cases are found in areas below the
diaphragm.
Disease occurs outside the nodes in about 4% of cases.
|
The
disease occurs most often in lymph nodes above the collar bone. In
NHL it is also more likely to appear in the nodes in the abdomen
(called the mesenteric nodes).
The disease occurs in the chest cavity in less than 40% of
patients. (An exception, lymphoblastic lymphoma, which is seen
most often in young people, is likely to first appear in the
chest.)
Disease occurs outside the nodes in about 23% of patients.
Slow-growing lymphomas are common in the liver and bone marrow.
|
| Affected
Lymph Cells |
B-Lymphocytes
characterized by the Reed-Sternberg Cell |
B-Lymphocytes,
T-Lymphocytes or Natural Killer (NK) Cells depending on the
subtype |
Symptoms
|
More
likely than NHL (40%) to have systemic ("B") symptoms
(such as fever and night sweats) at the time of diagnosis.
|
Less
likely than HL to have systemic ("B") symptoms (27%) at
the time of diagnosis.
|
Progression
|
Less
likely than NHL to be diagnosed in stage IV (10%). Hodgkin's
disease usually progresses in an orderly way from one lymph node
region to the next. This process may be slow, particularly in
younger people, or very aggressive. The disease typically spreads
downward from the initial site. If it spreads below the diaphragm,
it usually reaches the spleen first; the disease then may spread
to the liver and bone marrow. If the disease starts in the nodes
in the middle of the chest, it may spread outward to the chest
wall and areas around the heart and lungs.
|
More
likely than HD to be diagnosed in stage IV (36%) but this will
vary by NHL subtype.
The Non-Hodgkin's
lymphomas are less predictable in their course than Hodgkin's and
they are more apt to spread.
|