A Retrospective Study of 341 Cases of Primary Extranodal Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma of the Head and Neck

Abstract

Aims: Our goal was to obtain comprehensive and accurate information about primary extranodal non-Hodgkin lymphomas of the head and neck region to contribute to the advancement of medical knowledge in this field. Materiels and methods: We conducted a retrospective study of 341 patients with primary extra-nodal, non-Hodgkin lymphomas of the head and neck, over a period of 7 years from January 2016 to December 2022, in the departments of ENT and Head and Neck Surgery and Hematology, with the help of the department of anatomical pathology of the university hospital Mohammed VI of Marrakech. Results: 341 patients, with primary extra-nodal, non-Hodgkin lymphomas of the head and neck, was included, with an average age of 57 years, and a sex ratio male/female of 2.21 . in more than half of the cases; Waldeyer's ring was concerned; especially palatine tonsils. Type B NHL was the most frequent and involved 308 patients. Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma was the commonly observed histological type, found in 214 patients; followed by a Follicular Lymphoma and Extra-Nodal NK/T‑Cell Lymphoma, Nasal Type. Following the extension workup; patients were all staged according to the ANN ARBOR classification; with a 77.8% of them were localized stages I and II, and of the therapeutically evaluable cases, complete remission was achieved in 112 patients. Conclusion: Our study focused on all extra-nodal localizations of NHL in the head and neck region. Due to the very heterogeneous nature of these tumors, most of the current studies are limited to a specific site of involvement. Nevertheless, our study provides an overall picture; which those specific studies can be based. The management of NHL has evolved considerably in recent years, insisting on the multidisciplinary character to a better management of these patients.