Types of Hodgkin lymphoma
There are several types of Hodgkin lymphoma. These types are broadly divided into two. These are classic Hodgkin lymphoma and nodular lymphocyte-predominant Hodgkin lymphoma. The type usually determines the spread and treatment.
- Classic Hodgkin lymphoma
Class Hodgkin lymphoma [2] is the most prevalent type of Hodgkin lymphoma. It contains a particular type of cell called a Reed-Stenberg cell. Reed-Stenberg cells are abnormal B lymphocyte cells. The amount of these cells present in the swollen lymph nodes of people with classic Hodgkin lymphoma is usually small compared to the normal immune cells. These healthy immune cells surround the Reed-Stenberg cells and are the cause of most of the swelling observed in the nodes.
There are four types of classic Hodgkin lymphoma. Nodular sclerosis Hodgkin lymphoma is the most common type, accounting for about 70 percent of cases in developed countries. It can affect people of any age but is most common in teenagers and young adults.
Lymphocyte-depleted Hodgkin lymphoma is the rarest and most aggressive form. It is usually seen in older adults and HIV patients.
The other types are Lymphocyte-rich Hodgkin lymphoma and mixed cellularity Hodgkin lymphoma.
- Nodular lymphocyte-predominant Hodgkin lymphoma
This type of Hodgkin lymphoma is more common in men and tends to develop more slowly compared to the classic type. It accounts for around 5 percent of Hodgkin lymphoma cases [3]. The treatment of this lymphoma differs from the classic type.
The cancer cells in nodular lymphocyte-predominant Hodgkin lymphoma are called popcorn cells because of how they look. They may also be called lymphocytic and histiocytic (L&H) cells. They are variants of the Reed-Stenberg cells seen in the classic type.