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A swollen node that will not go down, weeks of night sweats, or a biopsy with the word lymphoma can change a regular Tuesday. You may be holding scan reports you do not fully understand. You may be waiting on a callback from a doctor across town.
Our hematology oncology team in Brooksville treats Hodgkin lymphoma. We want to help you make sense of what you are looking at.
This page walks through what Hodgkin lymphoma is, how it is staged, and the treatment paths we use at Advanced Cancer Treatment Centers (ACTC). We also cover what changes after treatment, so you and your family know what to watch for and when to call.
Most people learn about Hodgkin lymphoma the same week they hear the word. The lymphatic system is the network of vessels and small glands that helps your body fight infection. Hodgkin lymphoma starts when a type of white blood cell in those glands begins to grow abnormally.
Under a microscope, pathologists look for a specific abnormal cell called a Reed-Sternberg cell, often shortened to RS cell. The presence of an RS cell is what separates this disease from non-Hodgkin lymphoma, which behaves and is treated differently.
There are two broad categories. Classical Hodgkin lymphoma is the most common form. The other, nodular lymphocyte-predominant Hodgkin lymphoma (NLPHL), is rarer and tends to grow more slowly.
Many people first notice a painless swollen lymph node in the neck, chest, or armpit. Some also have what doctors call B-symptoms: unexplained fevers, drenching night sweats, or weight loss without trying. Itching with no clear cause and feeling unusually tired for weeks are also worth raising with your primary care doctor.
Before any treatment is chosen, your team needs to confirm the diagnosis and see how far it has spread. The work usually moves through three steps. You may already have results from one or two of them.
•Biopsy: A small piece of the affected lymph node is removed and examined. This is the only way to confirm Hodgkin lymphoma and identify the subtype. Bring the full pathology report to your first visit.
•Imaging with PET and CT: A positron emission tomography scan paired with a computed tomography scan shows where the disease is active. The pairing of CT and PET scans is important enough that we plan around it.
•Blood work: A complete blood count, organ function tests, and other labs show your starting point. They also flag anything that might affect treatment.
Hodgkin lymphoma is typically staged using the Ann Arbor system, which sorts disease into Stage I through Stage IV. Stage I means lymphoma is found in one lymph node region. Stage II involves two or more regions on the same side of the diaphragm.
Stage III crosses the diaphragm. Stage IV means the disease has reached organs outside the lymph system, such as the lungs, liver, or bone marrow. A letter A or B is added to note whether B-symptoms are present.
What this changes for you is simple. Stage and risk drive how intensive treatment needs to be, how long it lasts, and whether radiation joins chemotherapy.
Bring your biopsy report, prior treatment notes, and any port or line information. Also bring every imaging report you have, including any positron emission tomography (PET) and computed tomography (CT) scan reports. The more we have on day one, the faster we can plan.
Hodgkin lymphoma is one of the more treatment-responsive cancers in oncology. We usually have several tools to choose from. The plan depends on your stage, your age and overall health, your scan response partway through, and your goals.
For most patients, chemotherapy is the backbone of treatment. Multi-drug regimens are given in cycles, with rest days built in to help your body recover between rounds. We deliver these treatments in our infusion room.
The number of cycles depends on your stage and how the disease responds. After the first few cycles, often after two cycles, we may repeat a PET/CT scan to see how the lymphoma is reacting.
This is called response-adapted treatment. It lets us shorten, lengthen, or change the regimen based on your specific scan results, not a one-size-fits-all schedule.
Radiation therapy is one of our tools for several situations. We may use it for selected early-stage disease or for bulky disease sites. It can also treat selected areas where disease remains after chemotherapy, and when both are used, radiation usually follows.
We treat patients on the Varian VitalBeam system in our on-site treatment vault. Radiation for Hodgkin lymphoma is highly targeted. Modern planning helps us limit the dose to nearby healthy tissue.
That matters because many patients are young. They will live with the long-term effects of treatment for decades, so the lower the unnecessary exposure, the better.
Immunotherapy can help when Hodgkin lymphoma comes back or does not respond fully to first-line treatment. Checkpoint inhibitors and other immune-based options work by helping your own immune system find and clear lymphoma cells. These are infused on a set schedule. They are part of the systemic care planned by your medical oncology team.
In some relapsed or higher-risk situations, targeted therapy may join the plan. These medicines are designed to find specific markers on lymphoma cells and disrupt them while leaving most healthy tissue alone. Whether targeted therapy fits your case depends on the pathology report and on prior treatment. We will walk through the reasoning with you so the choice does not feel like it came out of a black box.
If your disease comes back after first-line treatment, your team may discuss stem cell transplant. Stem cell transplants are typically performed at academic transplant centers rather than community oncology practices. If transplant becomes part of your plan, your team can guide the referral.
Once the transplant team is ready to share care, local follow-up usually returns closer to home. You do not have to manage the referral alone, and routine follow-up afterward does not have to mean a long drive for every visit.
A worry many newly diagnosed patients carry is whether their treatment will look like a friend's, a relative's, or what they read online. It usually will not, and that is on purpose. Hodgkin lymphoma is treated as your disease, not as a generic chart.
Your hematology oncologist weighs several variables together.
•Stage and risk group: Early favorable, early unfavorable, and advanced disease each follow different intensity paths.
•Age and organ function: Heart, lung, and kidney function shape which medicines are safe, especially for older adults or those with prior conditions.
•Prior treatment history: A relapsed plan is different from a first-line plan, and what was used before changes what comes next.
•Interim scan response: A positron emission tomography (PET) scan partway through chemotherapy can lead us to step up, step down, or extend treatment.
•Your goals and preferences: Fertility planning, work schedules, and caregiver support are real inputs, not extras.
If you are coming to us with a plan from another facility, we will review it together rather than restart from zero. Sometimes we agree with what was proposed, and sometimes we suggest a change once we see all the imaging and labs. Either way, you will know why.
The questions after the first treatment cycle are different from the questions before it. You may want to know what to expect, when to call, and how long the watching lasts.
Common short-term chemotherapy side effects include fatigue, nausea, and a higher risk of infection. Radiation can cause skin changes and tiredness in the treated area. Working to boost immunity during cancer treatment becomes part of daily life.
Some symptoms need emergency care rather than a routine call. Call 911 right away for severe chest pain or pressure, sudden trouble breathing, new weakness or numbness on one side, trouble speaking, a sudden severe headache, seizures, or heavy bleeding that will not stop.
For other concerning symptoms, your care team is the right first call. A fever of 100.4 degrees or higher, shaking chills, or new signs of infection are reasons to reach out the same day. Reaching out early usually gives your team more options.
After active treatment ends, follow-up shifts into watching. We schedule follow-up visits, blood work, and imaging when it is appropriate for your risk, symptoms, and prior results.
Patients who received chest radiation or certain chemotherapy drugs need long-term heart screening. We can guide you on how to protect your heart during and after cancer treatment. Light, regular exercise during cancer treatment and survivorship is one of the most useful habits to build.
Driving to Tampa for every appointment is a real burden when you are already tired from treatment. Our 21,000-square-foot center sits on Cortez Boulevard, also known as Highway 50, just east of the Suncoast Parkway. That puts us within easy reach of Spring Hill, Weeki Wachee, Ridge Manor, Masaryktown, and the rest of Hernando County.
Lymphoma care is part of the regular work of our hematology oncology team. When radiation is part of the plan, one of our radiation oncologists handles that side of your care.
Our in-house lab, on-site computed tomography (CT) imaging, and mobile positron emission tomography (PET) access keep your testing in one place. Financial counseling support is available if cost questions are slowing you down. If a clinical trial may fit your situation, that is a question to ask at your consultation.
The lymphoma specialists at ACTC in Florida are committed to providing exceptional patient care through personalized Hodgkin lymphoma treatment plans supported by evidence-based research. Throughout each patient’s cancer journey, we focus on both physical and emotional well-being while fostering a supportive and compassionate environment for patients and their families.
The following are our providers who you can consult at ACTC:
MD, Hematology & Oncology
MD, Ph.D., Hematology/ Medical Oncology
MD, Radiation Oncologist
If you feel overwhelmed or unsure about what to do next, you are not alone. A new lymphoma diagnosis can feel like too much information at once, and you do not have to sort through it by yourself.
Your next step is simple. Bring your biopsy and imaging reports, and we will go through them together. Call 352-345-4565 or visit https://actchealth.com/appointment to book a consultation.
Schedule a consultation by calling
352-345-4565
It depends on stage, subtype, and how the disease responds to treatment. Hodgkin lymphoma is one of the more treatment-responsive cancers in oncology, and many patients reach long-term remission. Your hematology oncologist will talk through what the goals look like for your case.
Not the same disease. Hodgkin lymphoma has a specific abnormal cell called a Reed-Sternberg (RS) cell on biopsy, and non-Hodgkin lymphoma does not. The two follow different treatment pathways, so confirming the subtype on pathology before treatment starts is essential.
Start with a lymph node biopsy, which is the definitive step. Combined positron emission tomography (PET) and computed tomography (CT) imaging then shows where the disease is active, and blood work rounds out the picture.
It varies. Some early-stage plans wrap up in a few months, while advanced or relapsed plans run longer. A scan response partway through can shorten or extend the course, which is why your timeline becomes clearer after the first cycle or two.
Sometimes, yes. Relapse is possible even after a strong initial response. If it happens, your team will walk through the options with you and may refer you to a transplant center for evaluation.
Yes. Our team treats Hodgkin lymphoma at our Brooksville center on Cortez Boulevard, and we deliver every part of your plan on site. To get started, call 352-345-4565 or request an appointment online.
Schedule a consultation by calling
352-345-4565
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15211 Cortez Boulevard, Brooksville, Florida 34613