Hodgkin lymphoma across the age spectrum: epidemiology, therapy, and late effects.

The treatment of Hodgkin lymphoma is one of the success stories of modern medicine. There is a unified pathologic classification schema, a noninvasive staging evaluation and an increasingly sophisticated approach to therapy with risk and response adapted therapies in pediatric and adult patient populations. Survival rates have continued to improve while treatment modifications to decrease late effects are studied across all populations. However, a strong age gradient exists with respect to patient outcomes with younger patients faring somewhat better than their adult counterparts and older adults faring significantly worse. There has been a growing appreciation for the differences in epidemiology across age groups and the potential differences in disease biology. Novel approaches to prognostic stratification and therapy on the basis of these differences may be necessary to maximize cure and minimize late effects across the ages.