[Staging of Hodgkins's disease]

Initial staging of Hodgkin's disease must be extensive to define all initially involved sites. It includes a physical examination to look for peripheral lymph nodes. Chest X rays and CT scan are mandatory to explore deep lymph nodes and extranodal sites (e.g., lung, liver...). Biological tests look for an inflammatory syndrome. After this initial staging the disease is classified according to the dissemination of lymph nodes and to the presence of extranodal involvement. We take also in account the evolutive symptoms and the erythrocyte sedimentation rate. The staging helps for therapeutic options and must be performed after treatment to evaluate therapeutic results and search for a residual mass.