[Hodgkin's lymphoma in otorhinolaryngology]

To evaluate the implication of Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) in Otorhinolaryngology.

A longitudinal retrospective study on patients with HL diagnosed, treated and followed-up in our Centre from 1996 to 2010.

From 413 individuals having lymphoma, 120 were labelled as HL (29%). Patients were males in 76% and greater incidence was observed in ages between 15 and 30 years old, as well as between 45 and 60. Samples for biopsy from adenopathies were obtained in 84 cases (61 from the neck), and in 15 its origin was extranodal. The most usual finding at physical exploration was the presence of cervical (86%) and axillary nodes (68%), followed by B symptoms (37%). Waldeyer's ring was affected in 4%. The most frequent histopathological variety was classic HL with nodular sclerosis (50%) and mixed cellularity (28%). Patients were usually diagnosed at stages I (28%) and II (47%). Recurrence of disease in the neck after conventional oncologic therapies was detected in 17 patients, in 7 of which the pathologic study had varied. Mortality was 8%. The main unfavourable prognostic factors for neoplasm recurrence were lymphocyte depletion variety, lymphadenopathy larger than 10 cm and B symptoms.

Clinical HL findings are strongly associated with the head and neck area, making its suspicion obligatory in differential diagnosis on cervical nodes.