The American Cancer Society estimates that 7,880 cases of Hodgkin's lymphoma (4,330 men and 3,550 women) will be diagnosed in the U.S. in 2004, less than 1% of all cancer diagnoses.   Approximately 131,279 members of the U.S. population are living with Hodgkin's lymphoma.  85-90% of Hodgkin's occurs in adults, 10 to 15% in children.  It is more common, though, in 2 age groups: early adulthood (age 15-40, usually 25-30) and late adulthood (after age 55). Hodgkin's is rare before 5 years of age.

early 1970s.

The US National Cancer Institute has a program for tracking the occurrences of cancer for statistical purposes. The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program of the National Cancer Institute is the most authoritative source of information on cancer incidence and survival in the United States. 

Below are charts for incidence of Hodgkin's Disease based on SEER data.  1973 was the first date information was collected while 1996 is the last date for which data has been collated by this site. (Click on the image for a larger view)

The data seems to show that new cases of Hodgkin's are increasing slightly for every group but white males.  The good news can be seen in the mortality curves - more and more people are surviving Hodgkin's in all categories, again due to more effective treatments.

Modern data and more detailed data can be found on the new SEER page for Hodgkin's Lymphoma. (updated link)

Further Reading on Adult Hodgkin's lymphoma:

• Adult Hodgkin's Lymphoma: Diagnosis
• Adult Hodgkin's Lymphoma: Treatment
• Adult Hodgkin's Lymphoma: Chemotherapy
• Adult Hodgkin's Lymphoma: Resources

For Information on Childhood Hodgkin's lymphoma:

• Childhood Hodgkin's Information Pages

The Main Page - your guide to support and more:

• The Lymphoma Information Network

References: