The histologic pattern of non-Hodgkin's lymphomas in Ethiopians

Abstract

Non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (NHLs) are among the malignancies that can arise in advanced stages of infection in patients with human immunodefiency virus (HIV). However, the pattern of this malignancy has not been reported in Ethiopia. A sixteen year retrospective review has been carried out to determine the trend, age, sex distribution, and histological types of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma from January 1982 to December 1997. A total of 544 cases of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma were available for analysis. An increasing trend is observed from 1995 onwards. The male-to-female ratio was 2.8:1 and the peak occurence was in the age group of 50-54 years. The most frequent histologic grade was high grade accounting for 237 (43.6%) followed by 162 (29.9%) low grade and intermediate grade of 139 (25.5%). Diffuse growth pattern was seen in 96% of cases and follicular in only 4%. The most frequent histological type was immunoblastic (30.3%) followed by small lymphocytic lymphoma (26.5%). Extranodal involvement was observed in one fourth (24.6%) of cases. This study showed that NHLs are a heterogeneous collection of lymphoreticular malignancies having a wide age coverage and various peculiar histological types. Unlike in the Western Countries, follicular NHLs are much less common here. A properly designed prospective study is recommended to observe the stage, prognostic markers, and treatment outcome of various types of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. (Ethiopian Journal of Health Development, 2000, 14(3): 345-352)