[Bone localizations disclosing Hodgkin's disease. Apropos of 11 cases]

Abstract

The authors report 11 cases of Hodgkin's disease in which the first sign was due to bone involvement. Such observations are rare and raise diagnosis delays (Means: 5, 6 months in this series). Modern medical imaging techniques (scintigraphy, CT scan, magnetic resonance imaging) are very useful to an earlier diagnosis which will be better confirmed by lymph node biopsy given the poor information yielded by osseous cytology and/or histology. The elective localisation in bones belonging to the axial skeleton seems to support the hypothesis of a contiguous osseous involvement from lymphoïd organs in contact with bones. Evolution with chemotherapy and radiotherapy is very similar to that observed in patients without bone involvement.