Hodgkin's disease in primary care

Hodgkin's disease is a common hematologic malignancy in young adults. The typical patient is a young adult male presenting with painless cervical adenopathy or a mediastinal mass on chest X-ray. If diagnosed early and aggressively treated, long-term survival rates are excellent. The subtypes of Hodgkin's disease are differentiated by pathologic examination of an affected lymph node. Chemotherapy, with or without adjuvant radiation, is the favored therapeutic regimen for most patients. A comprehensive approach to care, which incorporates psychosocial implications, can improve quality of life for Hodgkin's disease patients.