Loading
Hodgkin lymphoma is one of the most curable cancers, where the goal is now to cure with less toxicity, using brentuximab and, from 2026, first-line nivolumab.
Classical Hodgkin lymphoma is a B-cell cancer in which rare, giant Reed-Sternberg cells (about 1% of the mass) recruit an inflammatory microenvironment and hide behind amplified PD-L1. It peaks in young adults and again after 55, is staged with PET-CT and the Lugano system, and is cured in more than 85% of patients overall and in over 90% of early-stage disease. Because most patients are young and will live for decades, the field's defining problem is not cure but the cost of cure: anthracycline heart disease, bleomycin lung injury, infertility, and second cancers from alkylators and radiation.
That is why Hodgkin lymphoma pioneered response-adapted therapy. Interim PET after two cycles (Deauville score) steers de-escalation (drop bleomycin after negative PET2 in RATHL; omit radiotherapy in early stage in HD16/HD17/RAPID at a small PFS cost) or escalation to BEACOPP-type regimens. Two ADC- and immunotherapy-based regimens then replaced ABVD for advanced disease: brentuximab vedotin-AVD (ECHELON-1, overall survival benefit) and, from March 2026, nivolumab-AVD (SWOG S1826, PFS HR 0.45 versus BV-AVD, neuropathy halved, children and adults together). In Europe, GHSG HD21's PET-guided BrECADD matches escalated BEACOPP's ~94% PFS with far less toxicity. Relapse is treated with PD-1 blockade (pembrolizumab beat brentuximab in KEYNOTE-204), brentuximab, salvage chemotherapy and autologous transplant, with brentuximab consolidation for high-risk patients (AETHERA); allogeneic transplant and CD30 CAR-T are options for the few who fail everything.
The next questions are how far chemotherapy can be removed. AHOD2131 tests brentuximab-nivolumab in early-stage disease across children and adults; ctDNA may replace PET for steering; older patients, who have half the cure rate of young ones, need regimens they can tolerate (nivolumab-AVD, brentuximab-based). Survivorship care for the tens of thousands cured decades ago, and the shift from radiotherapy to systemic de-escalation, remain the field's distinctive concerns.
Averages across everyone diagnosed, often years ago. A median is the middle of a group: half the people counted lived longer than the figure shown, and some lived far longer. Your stage, subtype, age, fitness and the treatment you receive matter more than the average, and the numbers are improving quickly.
~83,000 new cases a year worldwide, ~8,500 in the US, with age peaks at 20-30 and over 55. More than 85% are cured, so the research agenda is curing with less toxicity.
Averages across everyone diagnosed, often years ago. A median is the middle of a group: half the people counted lived longer than the figure shown, and some lived far longer. Your stage, subtype, age, fitness and the treatment you receive matter more than the average, and the numbers are improving quickly.
Leukaemias, myeloma and MDS live in the marrow and blood; lymphomas grow in lymph nodes and spleen. The node stations are the disease map, not a route of spread, and staging counts them.
In lymphoma the node stations are the disease itself; staging (Ann Arbor / Lugano) counts how many regions and sides of the diaphragm are involved.
Same organ: High-grade B-cell lymphoma with MYC and BCL2 rearrangements (double-hit lymphoma), Mediastinal grey zone lymphoma, Primary effusion lymphoma, Plasmablastic lymphoma, T-cell/histiocyte-rich large B-cell lymphoma, EBV-positive diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, Primary large B-cell lymphoma of the testis, Gastric MALT lymphoma, Ocular adnexal MALT lymphoma, Extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma, Adult T-cell leukaemia/lymphoma, ALK-positive anaplastic large cell lymphoma, ALK-negative anaplastic large cell lymphoma, Breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma, Primary cutaneous anaplastic large cell lymphoma, Lymphomatoid papulosis, Mycosis fungoides, Enteropathy-associated T-cell lymphoma, Monomorphic epitheliotropic intestinal T-cell lymphoma, Extranodal marginal zone lymphoma of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT lymphoma), Splenic marginal zone lymphoma, Nodal marginal zone lymphoma, Primary cutaneous marginal zone lymphoma, Primary cutaneous follicle centre lymphoma, Sezary syndrome, Nodal T-follicular helper cell lymphoma, angioimmunoblastic type (angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma), Hepatosplenic T-cell lymphoma, Intravascular large B-cell lymphoma, Lymphomatoid granulomatosis, T-cell prolymphocytic leukaemia, Splenic B-cell lymphoma/leukaemia with prominent nucleoli (formerly B-cell prolymphocytic leukaemia and hairy cell leukaemia variant), T-cell large granular lymphocytic leukaemia, Mixed-phenotype acute leukaemia, Myeloid leukaemia of Down syndrome, Burkitt leukaemia, Marginal zone lymphoma, Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (mycosis fungoides and Sezary syndrome), Primary mediastinal (thymic) large B-cell lymphoma, Leukaemia (all types), Acute myeloid leukaemia, Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, Chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML), Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, Follicular lymphoma, Mantle cell lymphoma, Multiple myeloma, Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (all types), Myelodysplastic syndromes / neoplasms (MDS), Myeloproliferative neoplasms (PV, ET, myelofibrosis), Polycythaemia vera (PV), Essential thrombocythaemia (ET), Waldenström macroglobulinaemia, Hairy cell leukaemia, Peripheral T-cell lymphomas (including cutaneous T-cell lymphoma), Blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN), Burkitt lymphoma, HIV-associated (AIDS-related) lymphomas, Chronic myelomonocytic leukaemia and MDS/MPN overlap neoplasms, Systemic mastocytosis, Erdheim-Chester disease, Rosai-Dorfman disease and other histiocytic neoplasms, Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH), Post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD), FLT3-mutated acute myeloid leukaemia, IDH1- and IDH2-mutated acute myeloid leukaemia, NPM1-mutated and KMT2A-rearranged acute myeloid leukaemia, Secondary and therapy-related acute myeloid leukaemia, Acute promyelocytic leukaemia, Acute myeloid leukaemia in older or unfit patients, Smouldering multiple myeloma, Newly diagnosed multiple myeloma, transplant-eligible, Newly diagnosed multiple myeloma, transplant-ineligible, Relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma, Plasma cell leukaemia, Lower-risk myelodysplastic syndromes, Higher-risk myelodysplastic syndromes, Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, first treatment, Relapsed or refractory chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, Richter transformation of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, Chronic myeloid leukaemia, chronic phase, Chronic myeloid leukaemia, accelerated and blast phase, Primary myelofibrosis, Standard-risk B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in children, High-risk acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in children (high-risk B-ALL and T-ALL), Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in children (Ph-positive ALL), Philadelphia chromosome-like acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (Ph-like or BCR::ABL1-like ALL), Infant acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (KMT2A-rearranged, under one year), Relapsed and refractory acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in children, Acute myeloid leukaemia in children, Erdheim-Chester disease, Rosai-Dorfman-Destombes disease, Single-system Langerhans cell histiocytosis (bone, skin or one other organ), Multisystem Langerhans cell histiocytosis (with or without risk-organ involvement), Indolent and smouldering systemic mastocytosis, Advanced systemic mastocytosis (aggressive SM, SM with an associated haematological neoplasm, mast cell leukaemia), Early-stage classical Hodgkin lymphoma (stage I to II), Advanced-stage classical Hodgkin lymphoma (stage III to IV), Nodular lymphocyte-predominant Hodgkin lymphoma (nodular lymphocyte-predominant B-cell lymphoma), Relapsed and refractory classical Hodgkin lymphoma
Also on OnCo: Symptoms and red flags · Early detection roadmap.
Nivolumab-AVD (2026) or BV-AVD; PET-adapted.
ABVD × 2 + involved-site radiotherapy 20 Gy (HD10), or PET-adapted omission of radiotherapy after 3 cycles if PET-negative (RAPID, HD16) accepting ~5% lower PFS; AHOD2131 tests BV-nivo.
ABVD × 4 + ISRT 30 Gy, or escalated BEACOPP × 2 + ABVD × 2 + RT (HD14/HD17 PET-guided); nivolumab- or BV-containing regimens in trials.
Nivolumab-AVD × 6 (S1826; approved March 2026, no routine radiotherapy) or BV-AVD × 6 with G-CSF (ECHELON-1); in Europe PET-guided BrECADD × 4-6 (HD21) or eBEACOPP; PET-adapted ABVD/AVD (RATHL) where novel agents unavailable.
Nivolumab-AVD (S1826 included older adults with less toxicity than BV-AVD); sequential brentuximab → AVD → brentuximab; avoid bleomycin; ABVD/AVD with dose adaptation.
Salvage (ICE, DHAP, GVD, BV-nivolumab or pembrolizumab-GVD) → PET-negative → high-dose therapy and autologous transplant; brentuximab consolidation for high-risk (AETHERA); PD-1 maintenance in trials.
Pembrolizumab (KEYNOTE-204) or nivolumab; brentuximab vedotin if not yet given; BV + nivolumab; allogeneic transplant for fit patients after response; CD30 CAR-T in trials; palliative radiotherapy or bendamustine.
Risk-adapted OEPA/COPDAC (EuroNet-PHL-C2) or ABVE-PC with brentuximab (AHOD1331, EFS benefit) and PET-guided radiotherapy omission; S1826 and AHOD2131 now enrol from age 12 or 5.
Lifelong surveillance for cardiac disease (anthracycline, mediastinal RT), breast cancer screening from 8 years after chest RT in women, thyroid and lung checks, fertility counselling before therapy.
Three inputs. Stage by PET-CT reported with the Lugano classification. Risk factors, which differ by group: the German Hodgkin Study Group counts a large mediastinal mass, extranodal disease, a raised erythrocyte sedimentation rate and three or more nodal areas; EORTC counts a large mediastinal mass, age 50 or over, a raised sedimentation rate and four or more nodal areas. And the interim PET after two cycles, scored 1 to 5 on the Deauville scale, which is used to intensify treatment in patients who have not responded and to reduce it in those who have. That last step, PET adaptation, is the structural idea behind modern Hodgkin treatment. RATHL showed that bleomycin can be dropped from cycles 3 to 6 in patients whose PET after two cycles is negative, with three-year progression-free survival of 85.7 per cent for continued ABVD against 84.4 per cent for AVD, which removed lung toxicity from most patients' treatment. EORTC H10 showed the reverse direction: in patients whose early PET was positive, switching from ABVD to escalated BEACOPP with involved-node radiotherapy raised five-year progression-free survival from 77.4 to 90.6 per cent (hazard ratio 0.42). Before the first cycle: lung function tests if bleomycin is planned, echocardiography, hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV testing, and a fertility conversation, which in a disease of young people is not optional.
Most people treated for Hodgkin lymphoma are cured and then live for decades with the consequences. Anthracyclines cause cardiomyopathy. Mediastinal radiotherapy causes coronary and valve disease, and, twenty to thirty years later, breast and lung cancer inside the irradiated field; the lung cancer risk multiplies with smoking rather than adding to it. Neck radiotherapy causes hypothyroidism in a large minority. Procarbazine and other alkylators cause infertility and a small excess of myelodysplasia and leukaemia. Bleomycin causes lung fibrosis. The long-term German Hodgkin Study Group series of 471 patients with the nodular lymphocyte-predominant subtype makes the arithmetic plain: ten-year overall survival was 92.1 per cent, second cancers occurred in 10.2 per cent, and of 43 deaths only 10 were from the lymphoma, against 20 from second cancers and 13 from conditions possibly related to treatment. Follow-up therefore includes cardiovascular risk assessment, thyroid function after neck or upper mediastinal radiotherapy, echocardiography at intervals, active smoking cessation support, and, in England, automatic referral into the NHS breast screening programme's very high risk pathway for women who had radiotherapy to breast tissue for Hodgkin or non-Hodgkin lymphoma between the ages of 10 and under 36. All of it is the reason treatment keeps being de-escalated.
Trials recruiting now, the landmark trials, the trials held by this cancer's subtypes, the key papers and what they mean, the latest literature, and the milestones year by year.
The molecular landscape: the targets and how often each appears, the pathways, the mechanics stages and the preclinical models.
Cases by country, the UK and NHS pathway and other country lenses, the expert centres with trials on record, and the centres named on this cancer's subtypes.
One section per setting: the options named, what each is for, the trials behind them, the recorded trade-offs and the questions to ask.
Breathing very fast, confusion or slurred speech, blue, pale or blotchy skin, a very high or very low temperature, shivering, or a rash that does not fade when pressed: the NHS says call 999 or go to A and E, and do not drive yourself.
Persistent headache with extreme tiredness, nausea, dizziness on standing or low blood pressure. Vomiting, severe weakness or collapse is adrenal crisis.
Bleeding that does not stop by itself, bleeding from more than one site, or new bruising in several places or one large area.
Any new neurological symptom that is not explained. Brentuximab vedotin carries a boxed warning for progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, a brain infection; the label says to hold the drug and investigate at the first suspicion.
Macmillan lists difficulty passing urine, loss of bladder or bowel control and constipation among the signs of spinal cord compression and says to contact the hospital straight away. If you cannot reach anyone, go to A and E and say you have lymphoma and symptoms of spinal cord compression.
These are the signs that the airway or the brain is being affected rather than only the veins. The triage standard sends shortness of breath at rest and any altered level of consciousness straight to 999.
See all on the product pages:Brentuximab vedotinCentral venous access (port, PICC line)DoxorubicinFebrile neutropeniaHypogammaglobulinaemia and infection risk after B-cell therapiesMetastatic spinal cord compression (MSCC)NeutropeniaNivolumabPembrolizumabSuperior vena cava obstruction·Printable cards in the navigator
Newly diagnosed? Read the first 60 days with Hodgkin lymphoma, then print the one-page appointment sheet with room for the answers.
Print this page for your appointment (your browser's print command). These prompts are for discussion; your clinical team knows your case.
Everything in development, the medicines held by this cancer's subtypes, the open problems and what is being done about them, the roadmaps, and what changed on this record.
Every connected record, the notes, the JSON, Markdown and RDF twins, and where the record came from and when it was checked.