Hodgkin Lymphoma Facts
July 13, 2024
This page was reviewed under our medical and editorial policy by Alex Herrera, M.D., associate professor, division of lymphoma, Department of Hematology & Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, City of Hope® Cancer Center Duarte
Approximately 8,570 people in the United States are expected to be diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma (also called Hodgkin disease) in 2024, out of roughly 335 million Americans. The number of new diagnoses has been steadily decreasing over the last two decades, while Hodgkin lymphoma remains the most common cancer diagnosed in 15- to 19-year-olds.
In the United States, about 228,081 people were living with Hodgkin lymphoma in 2021, according to the most recent statistics compiled by the National Cancer Institute.
What Is Hodgkin Lymphoma?
Hodgkin lymphoma is a cancer that occurs in certain lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell that plays an important role in the immune system. Typically affecting B lymphocytes, these cells are responsible for making antibodies that help the body fight disease. In Hodgkin lymphoma, they start to grow abnormally, multiplying faster and surviving longer than normal.
What Causes Hodgkin Lymphoma?
While it is clear that Hodgkin lymphoma is caused by changes in the DNA of a specific type of white blood cell, experts don’t know why they occur.
In Hodgkin lymphoma, genes inside B lymphocytes change, or mutate. This makes cells grow abnormally, multiplying much faster than normal. For most people, this happens first to lymph nodes in the neck, chest or underarms. As the cancer progresses, these abnormal cells may spread to other areas of the body.
The cancer cells in Hodgkin lymphoma are called Reed-Sternberg cells. They have several genes that help them grow and multiply too fast or survive longer than they should. They also produce proteins called cytokines. Unlike normal cytokines, which help boost the immune system, in the case of Reed-Sternberg cells, these cytokines help the cancerous cells grow and divide.
Hodgkin Lymphoma Risk Factors
Several factors are associated with an increased risk for developing Hodgkin lymphoma. If someone has these risk factors, it doesn’t mean that they will receive a Hodgkin lymphoma diagnosis, or that these factors are a direct cause.
They only mean that someone may be more likely to develop the disease.
Risk factors for Hodgkin lymphoma include those listed below.
- Age: This cancer is more common in young adults ages 20 to 39, and people ages 65 and older.
- Sex: Hodgkin lymphoma is slightly more common in males than females.
- Family history: While parents and siblings of someone with Hodgkin lymphoma are more likely to be diagnosed with this cancer, most people who have the condition don’t have a relative with the condition.
- Exposure to certain viruses: People who have had the Epstein-Barr virus, which causes mononucleosis and other illnesses, have a higher risk for Hodgkin lymphoma. Many adults have had this virus, but few get Hodgkin lymphoma. People who have HIV/AIDS also may have a higher risk.
- Transplant history: Patients who have had an organ or stem cell transplant and are on immune-suppressing drugs are at higher risk.
- Compromised immune system: People who have a condition that weakens their immune system, such as an autoimmune disease, are more likely to develop Hodgkin lymphoma.
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www.cancer.org/cancer/types/hodgkin-lymphoma/about/key-statistics.html
National Cancer Institute. Cancer stat facts: Hodgkin lymphoma.
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www.nhs.uk/conditions/hodgkin-lymphoma/causes/American Cancer Society. What causes Hodgkin lymphoma? May 1, 2018.
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www.cancer.org/cancer/managing-cancer/treatment-types/immunotherapy/cytokinesNational Cancer Institute. Adult Hodgkin lymphoma treatment (PDQ)–patient version, November 17, 2023.
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