Hello! I (29M) was diagnosed with stage IIB/A nodular sclerosis classical Hodgkin lymphoma (syncytial variant) in July 2025. I completed 3 cycles of ABVD. Five months later, I relapsed. My doctor started BV + bendamustine therapy in preparation for ASCT. I’ve only had one cycle so far, and it’s been 9 days.

During last year’s initial diagnosis, I had a severe rash on my arms and elbows, which disappeared after ABVD. Now, it has started to return on my left side. I have two questions:

	1.	I’m anxious about whether my current salvage treatment is not working or is responding more slowly than ABVD. What do you think?

	2.	My doctor gave me Zarxio (filgrastim) injections on days 4, 5, and 6 as a precaution before any drop in ANC. My ANC increased to 48k on day 7 after the first cycle. I haven’t experienced any loss of energy from chemo or BV. After this, the rashes on my left side appeared spontaneously on days 7, 8, and 9, spreading and itching like my initial Hodgkin symptom.

I developed a theory but couldn’t find any answers online. I believe that since I have CD30-positive cancerous B lymphocytes, and these are produced in the bone marrow, filgrastim may have boosted dysfunctional or harmful B lymphocytes that are CD30-positive, causing them to release large amounts of cytokines leading to itching and rash. So I’m wondering whether not only the Reed–Sternberg cells in my lymph nodes but also the production process in the bone marrow could be generating more dysfunctional B lymphocytes.

This makes me anxious that I might have a bigger problem than just relapsed classical Hodgkin lymphoma. What do you think about my idea—is it ridiculous?

Rash during treatment