RESUMO
The Sixth International Symposium on Hodgkin's disease was held in Cologne, Germany, between September 18 and 21, 2004, organized by the German Hodgkin Study Group (GHSG) and chaired by Volker Diehl. Since 1987 the international symposia were held at regular intervals in Cologne with the aim to facilitate international cooperation and to bring together new scientific and clinical results reached in the field of Hodgkin's disease. The expanding number of participants from about 300 attendees at the first symposium to almost 800 from 48 countries at the Sixth International Symposium indicates the increasing importance of this meeting. For the second time a patient seminar with more than 350 attendees has been organized. This sixth meeting was going to be unique, since the GHSG celebrated its 25th anniversary and honored Volker Diehl, the group's founder in recognition of his work during more than 25 yr. The symposium was held at the University of Cologne's main building, creating a special, scientific and familiar atmosphere. Throughout the symposia carried out by the GHSG, preclinical and clinical several topics have always been of basic interest and have provided a basis for discussion and scientific exchange.
