Extralymphatic Disease Is an Independent Prognostic Factor in Hodgkin Lymphoma

A retrospective study was performed of 341 cases of extralymphatic Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) to identify its characteristics and outcomes. Sites were lung in 29 patients (44%), bone in 22 (33%), and liver in 5 (18%). Extralymphatic HL is a rare occurrence (16%) associated with poor clinical outcome. Purpose: To identify the characteristics and outcomes of patients with extralymphatic Hodgkin lymphoma. Patients and Methods: We performed a retrospective single-institution study of 341 cases comprising 207 male (61%) and 134 female (39%) subjects with a median follow-up of 44 months. Results: Fifty-five patients (16%) had extralymphatic disease. The sites were lung in 29 patients (44%), bone in 22 (33%), liver in 12 (18%), and kidney in 3 (5%). In 46 patients (86%) only one organ was involved, while in 7 patients (13%) extralymphatic disease was present in 2 sites and in 2 patients (3%) in 3 sites. The extralymphatic disease group had a poorer prognosis than the lymphatic disease group. Complete remission rates in the extralymphatic and lymphatic patient subsets were 65% and 82% (P =.043), respectively. Conclusion: Extralymphatic disease in patients with Hodgkin lymphoma is a rare occurrence (16%) associated with poor clinical outcome.