Hematologic Malignancies Program

Hodgkin's Disease

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Symptoms

The most common symptom of Hodgkin's disease is painless swelling of the lymph nodes in the neck, underarm, or groin. However, some people with Hodgkin's disease experience no symptoms.

Other symptoms include:

If a patient has these symptoms, a doctor will carefully check for swelling or lumps in the neck, underarms, and groin. If the lymph nodes don't feel normal, the doctor may need to cut out a small piece and look at it under the microscope to see if there are any cancer cells. This procedure is called a biopsy. It is the only way to confirm a cancer diagnosis.

The chance of recovery (prognosis) and choice of treatment for Hodgkin's disease depend on the stage of the cancer (whether it is just in one area or has spread throughout the body), the size of the swollen areas, the results of blood tests, the type of symptoms, and the patient's age, sex, and overall condition.


This page was last updated on: March 3, 2008.