Question

A 17-year-old boy is being investigated through the outpatient department due to a 6-month history of repeated episodes of fever, night sweats, and lethargy. He has also lost a substantial amount weight. The examining physician notices slight pallor and finds that the cervical lymph nodes are palpable, discrete, and non-tender. Routine blood test shows lymphocytic preponderance and increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate. The histology also reveals some cells with mirror-image nuclei. Chest X-ray is normal. The diagnosis is confirmed through node biopsy.

What is the likely diagnosis?

Answer 1

The 17-year-old boy's symptoms and biopsy results suggest a diagnosis of Hodgkin's lymphoma, characterized by systemic symptoms and enlarged lymph nodes.

Step-by-step explanation:

The likely diagnosis for the 17-year-old boy presenting with repeated episodes of fever, night sweats, lethargy, substantial weight loss, slight pallor, palpable, discrete, non-tender cervical lymph nodes, lymphocytic preponderance, increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and cells with mirror-image nuclei on histology is lymphoma. More specifically, given the presence of cells with mirror-image nuclei, the diagnosis is most likely Hodgkin's lymphoma. This diagnosis often involves enlarged lymph nodes and systemic symptoms, and a confirmatory biopsy, as described in the question, is a standard diagnostic procedure.