Hydrocele following treatment for Hodgkin's disease.

Thirteen Hodgkin's disease patients developed hydrocele after treatment with radiotherapy (12 patients) or chemotherapy (one patient). An additional patient developed testicular swelling following radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Eleven of 13 patients were staged with laparotomy (nine initially, two at restaging) which included pelvic and aortic node biopsies prior to the development of hydrocele. Five of the patients developed radiation-related pericarditis. These data suggest that staging and treatment of Hodgkin's disease may disrupt pelvic lymphatic flow and lead to hydrocele formation. The high incidence of treatment-related pericarditis may suggest unusual sensitivity to radiation in this group of patients.