Hodgkin lymphoma is typically centered around the cervical, supraclavicular, and mediastinal lymph nodes. Although involvement of the central nervous system has been documented, it is extremely rare. This case study, published in the Journal of Medical Case Reports, analyzed one of these cases of extranodal Hodgkin lymphoma in the central nervous system.
The patient in this case report was a 35-year-old South-East Asian male with relapsed Hodgkin lymphoma. He had developed a parotid gland lesion, significant weight loss, night sweats, and cervical lymphadenopathy. Biopsy of the cervical lymph node confirmed the presence of Hodgkin lymphoma. The patient began chemotherapy with six cycles of Adriamycin, bleomycin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine, followed by three cycles of ifosfamide, carboplatin, and etoposide.
The patient was lost to follow-up, but years later, he was found to have a parietal space-occupying lesion. The lesion was resected, biopsied, and found to have histopathological features consistent with classical Hodgkin lymphoma.
The researchers concluded that although relapsed Hodgkin lymphoma in the central nervous system is very rare, space-occupying lesions should always be investigated and biopsied. They asserted that with proper and timely treatment, complete remission is possible, but large-scale studies are still needed to better understand and treat Hodgkin lymphoma with central nervous system involvement [1].
Source:
[1] Ahmed, S., Irfan, B., Raza, M., & Haider, G. (2021). Atypical involvement of central nervous system in classic Hodgkin lymphoma: a case report. Journal of Medical Case Reports, 15(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13256-021-03118-4
