Primary Hodgkin's disease of bone. A report of two cases in adolescents and review of the literature.

The presentation of Hodgkin's disease as a primary bony lesion is unusual. Seventeen such cases have been reported, only three of which appear in the orthopedic literature. The prognosis for survival in these patients is poor, possibly because of difficulty in arriving at the correct early diagnosis. In two adolescent girls (ages 12 and 17) with primary Hodgkin's disease of bone, the diagnosis was made with uncertainty or delay. One of the patients died and the other has progressive disease, two and one-half years after the diagnosis was established. Earlier recognition may lead to better outcomes.