Question

What is the scoring system used to grade Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and what are the different stages?

Answer

The Ann Arbor staging system with Cotswolds modifications is the current staging system used for patients with Hodkin’s Lymphoma.  There has been a meeting a subsequent meeting in Lugano, Switzerland in 2014, but those recommendations are controversial and not universally used.  The Ann Arbor staging system has four stages based on:

• The sites of lymph node involvement
• Extent of systemic disease

References

1. Lister TA, Crowther D, Sutcliffe SB. Report of a committee convened to discuss the evaluation and staging of patients with Hodgkin’s disease: Cotswolds meeting. Journal of Clinical Oncology. 1989;7(11):1630-6. [pubmed]
2. Cheson BD, Fisher RI, Barrington SF. Recommendations for initial evaluation, staging, and response assessment of Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma: the Lugano classification. Journal of Clinical Oncology. 2014;32(27):3059-68. [pubmed]