ABCL-258 Incidence Patterns of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma in the Republic of Armenia

Abstract

It is known that one of the reasons for the increased incidence of hematological malignancies is, in particular, the growth of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). NHL is the most common hematological malignancy worldwide, accounting for nearly 3% of cancer diagnoses and deaths. NHL comprises various subtypes, each with different epidemiology, etiology, immunophenotypic, genetic, clinical features, and response to therapy. The main objective of this research was the investigation of incidence patterns of NHL within the Republic of Armenia and to portray disease distribution according to age and sex during the period of 2017-2021. The initial data for this retrospective cohort survey were derived from ambulance cards, hospitalization journals, and clinical data from the Registry of Blood Diseases at the Armenian Hematology Center After Prof. R. Yeolyan. Data analysis showed that during 2017-2021, the average annual incidence of NHL was 4.34 cases per 100,000 people. The comparison of this data with the results of our early studies (1998-2004 and 1966-1971) revealed an increase in the NHL incidence rate by 1.5 and 4 times, respectively. A significant increase was observed in 2019 compared to 2017, 5.9 versus 3.3 cases per 100,000 people. The age-standardized risk of NHL was 4.8 among male and 3.9 among female individuals. Our study showed that the incidence for both men and women is higher in the age group of 55 years and older. Currently, we can only provide data on the general statistics of the incidence of NHL; work is underway to analyze the statistics of specific subtypes of lymphomas, but the proportion of DLBCL is 30% and that of unclassified lymphomas is 20%-25%. The incidence rates for NHL increased several-fold during the analyzed period. The risk groups include the male contingent of the population and those aged over 55 years.