The staging of Hodgkin's disease revisited

The conventional staging of Hodgkin's disease (HD) including lymphangiography and staging laparotomy with splenectomy is well-known and commonly utilized. However, recent data on new imaging modalities (e.g. ultrasound, computed tomographic scanning) and prognostic factors (e.g. size of the mediastinal mass, extent of splenic involvement, etc.) suggest that a more rational approach to staging based on treatment considerations is now possible. In addition, careful restaging of patients in apparent remission, including surgical evaluation in selected patients, is also important. In this paper, these new concepts of the staging of HD are reviewed.