What is Hodgkin Lymphoma?

Hodgkin's Disease (Hodgkin Lymphoma)

Hodgkin's disease is a cancer that originates from lymphocytes produced within the body's lymph system. It is the result of a mutated B-cell known as a Reed-Sternberg cell. Reed-Sternberg cells are large and abnormally shaped, with two cell nuclei.
Part of the body's immune system, the lymph system is a network of vessels and nodes that normally filters the fluid found within all tissues. Lymph nodes remove bacteria and other disease-causing organisms from the lymph fluid, and produce lymphocytes and antibodies needed to fight off infections caused by these organisms. An increase in the size of a lymph node (lymphadenopathy) indicates increased activity within the node, due to inflammation, infection, or cancer.
Malignancy (cancer) occurs when a cell's genetic code mutates, or changes, resulting in abnormal cells that grow rapidly. Lymphomas are a group of cancers originating from lymphocytes, which are white blood cells whose normal function is to fight off infections within the body. There are two major types of lymphomas: Hodgkin lymphoma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL).

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How Lymphoma's develop...