ON THIS PAGE: You will find information about the estimated number of children and teens who will be diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma each year. You will also read general information on surviving the disease. Remember, survival rates depend on several factors, and no 2 people with cancer are the same. Use the menu to see other pages.

Every person is different, with different factors influencing their risk of being diagnosed with this cancer and the chance of recovery after a diagnosis. It is important to talk with your doctor about any questions you have around the general statistics provided below and what they may mean for your child individually. The original sources for these statistics are provided at the bottom of this page.

How many children and teens are diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma?

Hodgkin lymphoma makes up 3% of cancer in children 14 and under. The disease is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in teens between the ages of 15 and 19, accounting for 11% of all cancer cases in this age group. Hodgkin lymphoma is also common in young adults, particularly those who are in their 20s. It is also common in adults older than 55. It is rare in children under age 5.

What is the survival rate for children and teens with Hodgkin lymphoma?

There are different types of statistics that can help doctors evaluate a person’s chance of recovery from Hodgkin lymphoma. These are called survival statistics. A specific type of survival statistic is called the relative survival rate. It is often used to predict how having cancer may affect life expectancy. Relative survival rate looks at how likely people with Hodgkin lymphoma are to survive for a certain amount of time after their initial diagnosis or start of treatment compared to the expected survival of similar people without this cancer.

Example: Here is an example to help explain what a relative survival rate means. Please note this is only an example and not specific to this type of cancer.  Let’s assume that the 5-year relative survival rate for a specific type of cancer is 90%. “Percent” means how many out of 100. Imagine there are 1,000 people without cancer, and based on their age and other characteristics, you expect 900 of the 1,000 to be alive in 5 years. Also imagine there are another 1,000 people similar in age and other characteristics as the first 1,000, but they all have the specific type of cancer that has a 5-year survival rate of 90%. This means it is expected that 810 of the people with the specific cancer (90% of 900) will be alive in 5 years.

It is important to remember that statistics on the survival rates for children and teens with Hodgkin lymphoma are only an estimate. They cannot tell an individual person if cancer will or will not shorten their life. Instead, these statistics describe trends in groups of people previously diagnosed with the same disease, including specific stages of the disease.

The 5-year relative survival rate for children 14 and under with Hodgkin lymphoma is 99%. The 5-year relative survival rate for teens ages 15 to 19 is 98%.

The survival rates for Hodgkin lymphoma in children and teens vary based on several factors. These include the stage of cancer, the risk group of the lymphoma, a person’s age and general health, and how well the treatment plan works.

The survival rates for Hodgkin lymphoma on this page are based on children and teens diagnosed between 2012 and 2018. Experts measure the survival statistics every several years. This means the estimate may not reflect the results of advancements in how childhood Hodgkin lymphoma is diagnosed or treated from the last 5 years. Talk with your child’s doctor if you have any questions about this information. Learn more about understanding statistics.

Statistics adapted from the American Cancer Society's (ACS) publication, Cancer Facts & Figures 2023, and the ACS website. Additional source was: Seigel R, et al.: Cancer Statistics 2023. CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians. 2023 Jan; 73(1):17–48. doi/full/10.3322/caac.21763. (All sources accessed February 2023.)

The next section in this guide is Medical Illustrations. It offers a drawing of body parts often affected by childhood Hodgkin lymphoma. Use the menu to choose a different section to read in this guide.