What is Hodgkin lymphoma?
Hodgkin lymphoma is a type of blood cancer which causes your body to make too many white blood cells, called ‘lymphocytes’. Lymphocytes are a type of white blood cell which contribute to your immune system working well.
Your body produces two types of lymphocytes:
- B cells
- T cells
Hodgkin lymphoma develops from B cell lymphocytes. You might also hear it called ‘Hodgkin’s disease’.
The extra lymphocytes caused by Hodgkin lymphoma live longer than they should and stop other blood cells from doing their job. Overall, this means your immune system can’t work properly.
How many people are diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma?
About 2,100 people are diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma each year in the UK.
It is most common in people aged 20 to 40, and also aged over 75.
Lymphomas are types of blood cancer that start in the lymphatic system. Doctors can diagnose Hodgkin lymphoma by looking at blood under a microscope. Hodgkin lymphoma shows abnormal cells called ‘Reed-Sternberg cells’, which have a large, distinct shape. If they can’t see these cells, the type of blood cancer might be a non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
I was in the first year of uni when I was diagnosed. They said it was very treatable, and it was, but then I relapsed twice. They found three donor matches for me – I felt so, so lucky. I knew the transplant itself had 50/50 chance of working but to even get the chance to try, was like winning the lottery.
Erin, who had a stem cell transplant to treat Hodgkin lymphoma
Treatments for Hodgkin lymphoma
In many cases, doctors will first try giving you treatment for Hodgkin lymphoma such as:
- chemotherapy
- radiotherapy
- targeted cancer drugs
- stem cell transplant (after chemotherapy).
You might only have one type of treatment, or you might have a combination of treatments.
But if the lymphoma comes back, also known as ‘relapse’, doctors might offer an autologous stem cell transplant. This is a transplant using your own stem cells.
Doctors offer autologous transplants to treat Hodgkin lymphoma for a couple of reasons:
- You usually have a better chance of keeping the lymphoma in remission for longer. Remission means there are no longer any signs of cancer in your body.
- There are usually fewer complications, such as graft versus host disease (GvhD), because you don’t have a donor giving your body new stem cells.
If you do relapse, you might have a second transplant, but it will be an allogeneic transplant. This is when someone else donates their cells.
In some cases, your medical team might offer you an allogeneic transplant first of all if:
- you’ve already had another type of treatment but it didn’t work
- the Hodgkin lymphoma has returned quickly
- or doctors think that chemotherapy won’t work well for the type of lymphoma you have.
How many people have a stem cell transplant to treat Hodgkin lymphoma?
There were 218 stem cell transplants in the UK to treat Hodgkin lymphoma in 2023.
Where to find support for Hodgkin lymphoma
Anthony Nolan supports people with all sorts of conditions that might use stem cells or cell therapies for treatment. But other organisations support people affected by specific blood cancers like Hodgkin lymphoma.
To find out more about Hodgkin lymphoma symptoms, diagnosis and treatments, you can visit:
- Blood Cancer UK – Hodgkin lymphoma
- Cancer Research UK – Hodgkin lymphoma
- Lymphoma Action – Hodgkin lymphoma
To find advice and support for living with cancer, you can visit:
I was 22 when I was diagnosed with blood cancer. It all started with a lump in my neck. I wasn’t too concerned, but when that lump was taken out, the doctors discovered that it was Hodgkin lymphoma.
Jo, who had a stem cell transplant to treat Hodgkin lymphoma. You can read her story on our blog.
Information last updated: 12/05/2025
Next review due: 12/05/2026