Hematologic Malignancies Program

Patient and Family Education

Hodgkin's Disease

Risk Factors

The American Cancer Society estimates that about 8,220 new cases of Hodgkin's disease will be diagnosed in the United States in 2008. In recent years, however, the death rate has fallen as the result of improved treatments for the disease.

There are no major risk factors for Hodgkin's disease, and the cause of the disease is not known. It most commonly affects young adults and people older than 55 years of age. However, it can also occur in children, and it is treated differently in children than in adults. People with reduced immune systems, such as organ transplant patients and persons with AIDS, may have a greater risk of developing Hodgkin's disease.

This page was last updated on: October 7, 2009.