Hodgkin's lymphoma--patient's assessment and staging

Hodgkin's lymphoma is one of the most curable malignancies today. But treatment is associated with significant toxicity. The objective of high-quality management is to minimize treatment exposure while maximizing cure of disease. Principles of cancer staging and patient's assessment taxonomy are important to improve communication. An orderly patient evaluation and systematic recording of disease extent using the Ann Arbor classification forms the basis for treatment decision, response assessment, and clinical trials. The practice of staging in Hodgkin's lymphoma evolved over the past 40 years from clinical examination and plain imaging to modern anatomic and functional imaging. Although useful in the past, staging laparotomy, lymphangiograms, and Gallium scintigraphy have now been abandoned. Computerized tomography combined with 2-[18F]fluoro-2-deoxyglucose-positron emission tomography form the basis for anatomic disease extent assessment. Although patients' evaluation and staging at diagnosis are important, the management of Hodgkin's lymphoma involves a complex series of algorithms requiring interim and overall response assessment, careful follow-up, repeat assessment, and salvage management of recurrent disease.