Role of laparoscopy for Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma

An efficacious approach to the diagnosis and treatment of lymphoma requires the expertise of both physicians and surgeons. The surgeon frequently is required to provide an adequate tissue diagnosis, stage the disease, and treat complications of the disease such as splenomegaly. Often, abdominal and retroperitoneal operations are required which may be unnecessarily morbid. Minimally invasive surgical techniques may favorably impact on the work-up and treatment of lymphoma. Laparoscopy can expeditiously access retroperitoneal lymphadenopathy, sample abdominal lymph node groups, and perform splenectomy with low morbidity and rapid recovery. In Hodgkin's disease, laparoscopic staging with splenectomy may be the best modality for infradiaphragmatic staging to tailor initial treatment. Laparoscopic splenectomy is also effective in the treatment of the symptoms and hematologic derangements of splenomegaly or primary splenic lymphoma. The technique of laparoscopic splenectomy is emphasized.