Words to know: Hodgkin lymphoma
- Lymphocyte
- A type of white blood cell that helps fight infection.
- Lymph node
- A small, bean-shaped gland that filters fluid and holds immune cells.
- Reed-Sternberg cell
- The large, unusual cancer cell seen in classic Hodgkin lymphoma.
- Classic Hodgkin lymphoma
- The most common type of Hodgkin lymphoma. Its cells carry the CD30 marker.
- Nodular lymphocyte-predominant
- A rare, slow-growing type of Hodgkin lymphoma whose cells carry the CD20 marker.
- B symptoms
- Fever, drenching night sweats, or losing a lot of weight without trying.
- Bulky disease
- A single very large mass of lymphoma, often in the chest.
- Mediastinum
- The space in the middle of the chest, between the lungs, where many lymph nodes sit.
- Biopsy
- Removing tissue to look at under a microscope.
- PET-CT scan
- A scan that shows active cancer cells, which light up because they use more sugar.
- Deauville score
- A 1 to 5 score used to read PET scans. A score of 1 to 3 usually means no active lymphoma.
- Interim PET
- A PET scan done partway through treatment to see how well it is working.
- ESR (sed rate)
- A blood test for inflammation that helps set the risk group in early-stage Hodgkin lymphoma.
- ABVD
- A 4-drug chemotherapy plan: doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine. AVD is the same plan without bleomycin.
- BEACOPP
- A stronger 7-drug chemotherapy plan used mainly in Europe. BrECADD is a newer version.
- Antibody-drug conjugate
- An antibody that carries a strong cancer drug straight to the cancer cell, such as brentuximab vedotin.
- Checkpoint inhibitor
- An immune drug, such as nivolumab or pembrolizumab, that helps the immune system attack cancer.
- Involved-site radiation
- Radiation aimed only at the lymph nodes that had lymphoma.
- Remission
- Signs of lymphoma are gone (complete) or smaller (partial).
- Relapse
- When lymphoma comes back after treatment.
- Refractory
- Lymphoma that does not respond to treatment.
- Autologous stem cell transplant
- High-dose chemotherapy followed by your own saved stem cells to rebuild the bone marrow.
- Late effects
- Health problems from treatment that show up months or years after it ends.
- Survivorship plan
- A written summary of your treatment and the check-ups you need in the years ahead.
- Fertility preservation
- Saving sperm, eggs, or embryos before treatment so you may have children later.
Last updated: 2026-10-27. Medically reviewed by Veli Bakalov, MD, medical oncologist (October 2026). General education from Step by Step, the patient portal of HemeOncBuddy.