Hodgkin Lymphoma

<p>Hodgkin's Lymphoma a.k.a. Hodgkin's Disease is a malignant (cancerous) growth of cells in the lymphatic system.

Named after Quaker physician Thomas Hodgkin (1798-1866), Lymphatic disease was first described in 1666 by Malpighi. Hodgkin, however, published a paper in 1832 titled <i>On Some Morbid Appearances of the Absorbent Glands and Spleen</i> that documented case studies and his name was attached to the disease by Wilks in 1865 (for more history, see this brief timeline)

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What differentiates Hodgkin's lymphoma is the presence of Reed-Sternberg cells in the cancerous tissue. The presence of these cells, detectable only through an open biopsy, is the defining characteristic of Hodgkin's disease, as opposed to non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. However, for the layperson, Hodgkin's lymphoma tends to produce more obvious symptoms than it's more common counterpart; these symptoms often lead to early detection and the treatment of Hodkin's disease is very successful.</p>