Abstract
BackgroundLymphomas usually present with different occurrence patterns across different geographical locations, but their epidemiology in Zambia is yet to be extensively explored.ObjectivesTo study the spectrum of lymphoma subtypes prevalent within the Zambian population.MethodsHistopathological records with suspected lymphoma at the University Teaching Hospital (UTH) in Lusaka from the year 2014 to 2016, diagnosed based on the 2008 World Health Organization (WHO) criteria were reviewed. The analysis was done in terms of type, sex, age, and site of biopsy; and Fisher’s exact test was used for significance testing.ResultsDuring the study period (2014-2016), there were more B cell neoplasms {222 (92.5%)} than T cell neoplasms {18 (7.5%)}. Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) was seen in 191 (79.6%) whereas classic Hodgkin’s lymphoma (CHL) was seen in 39 (16.3%). Burkitt’s lymphoma (BL) and diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) showed equal proportions {17.5% of all lymphoma cases (42/240) each}, as the most prevalent subtypes of NHL whereas marginal zone B cell lymphoma was the rarest subtype with 1.4% (4/240). For CHL, mixed cellularity and lymphocyte rich subtypes (4.6% of all lymphoma cases) were the most common subtypes. There was a statistically significant difference in the occurrences of lymphoma subtypes across different age categories (p = 0.002).ConclusionZambia has a diverse lymphoma subtypes population, affecting a relatively young population. The data from this study will serve as a baseline for improved health care provision and more robust future studies.
Highlights
Lymphomas usually present with different occurrence patterns across different geographical locations, but their epidemiology in Zambia is yet to be extensively explored
Aim To study the spectrum of lymphoma subtypes prevalent within the Zambian population
Our study found that the B cell lymphoma accounted for 92.5% of all the lymphoma cases in Zambia, in agreement with most of the findings globally
Summary
Lymphomas usually present with different occurrence patterns across different geographical locations, but their epidemiology in Zambia is yet to be extensively explored. Lymphoma is a group of blood malignancies that develop from lymphocytes. Known as lymphoid neoplasms, these blood malignancies comprise a group of closely related yet heterogeneous diseases, with widely varying clinical features, histology, immunophenotypes, and genetic abnormalities [1, 2]. Polepole et al Journal of Health, Population and Nutrition (2021) 40:37 for certain types of lymphomas such as Burkitt’s lymphoma are situated in the developing countries of Africa where poverty levels are still high and the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) pandemic is still hampering the strides made by health care authorities to reduce disease burdens. The etiology of most types of lymphoma is not clearly understood [8] but several risk factors have been identified. The most well recognized are acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)—infectious agents such as Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), low socio-economic status, advancing age, gender, family history of cancers, dietary, and environmental factors [9,10,11,12,13,14]
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