How to Diagnose Hodgkin's Disease

Hodgkin's disease is a highly malignant tumor of lymphoid cells. It primarily affects the B-cells in the lymphatic and reticuloendothelial systems. Hodgkin's disease is classified into four types: lymphatic depletion, lymphocytic predominant, mixed cellularity and nodular sclerosing. The epidemiology of Hodgkin's disease suggests that it is caused by genetic, environmental and immunologic factors. The following steps will show how to diagnose Hodgkin's disease.

Instructions

Difficulty: Challenging

1. Observe the initial symptoms of Hodgkin's disease. It most often presents with painless, swollen lymph nodes that do not respond to antibiotics. A mediastinal mass accompanied by chest pains, coughing and shortness of breath also may be present.
2. Expect systemic symptoms of Hodgkin's disease to include sweats at night, fever for at least three days and unexplained weight loss of 10 percent in the previous six months. Other symptoms may include itching and fatigue.
3. Obtain a complete blood cell count. Hodgkin's disease can cause hemolytic and chronic anemia. Other blood anomalies include eosinophilia, leukocytosis, lymphopenia and monocytosis.
4. Perform chest radiography to assess the mediastinal mass. A thoracic ratio of 33 percent or more is consistent with Hodgkin's disease. Other imaging techniques such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging or Computed Tomography may be used to assess the extent of the disease.
5. Confirm a diagnosis of Hodgkin's disease histologically. The suspect tissue is subjected to hematoxylin and eosin staining. Additional stains are made for surface markers, including CD15, CD20, CD30 and CD45, which are used to determine the correct subtype.