Does bone Hodgkin lymphoma affect survival in patients with Hodgkin lymphoma?

This study investigated if patients with Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) found in the bones have worse outcomes than patients with HL in the lymph nodes. It was found that having bone HL did not reduce survival of patients.

Many patients with HL are cured by treatment. After 5 years, almost 86% of patients survive. When patients are first diagnosed, HL is usually found in the lymph nodes. Lymph nodes are immune system structures found around the body. When cancer progresses it often spreads to the bone. It is important to investigate whether patients with HL found in the bones have worse outcomes than those without.

This study included 384 patients with HL. Patients were followed for 44 months on average. Twenty-two men and 10 women were included. The effects of bone HL on patients were measured.

Forty-two percent of patients had HL in their lung. Forty-four percent had HL in their bones. It was found that diagnosing bone HL is difficult. Multiple types of medical imaging such as PET/CT and CT scanning were often required to confirm diagnosis. In 12 patients, bone HL was diagnosed with PET/CT scan but not CT scan alone.  After 3 years about 81% of patients with bone HL did not have cancer worsening. About 78% of patients with HL in the lymph nodes did not have cancer worsening. Patients with HL outside of the lymph nodes and the bone had the worst survival. Fifty one percent of these patients did not have cancer worsening after 3 years.

This study found that bone HL did not influence survival of patients.

This study included patients from one center only. Therefore, the results may not be applicable to patients elsewhere.

If you have questions about the management of HL, please consult a doctor.