Hodgkin lymphoma: Clinicopathologic features in Benin City, Nigeria and update on its biology and classification

OBJECTIVE: To review the age incidence, common pathohistologic subtypes, and anatomical nodal sites of lymph nodes involvement for histology. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A 25 (May 1985-June 2010) years retrospective study of all patients who had lymph node biopsy. SETTING: Department of Pathology and Haematology, University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City, Nigeria. RESULTS: Of 821 lymph node biopsies encountered, 56 (6.8%) cases biopsied were for Hodgkin lymphoma (HL). There was a bimodal peak incidence of age interval of 11-15 years and 21-25 years and the relationship between the age and sex distribution was statistically significant (P = 0.03). The overall median age was 23 years with a mean age of 25.6 ± 2.0 (SEM). Pathological re-appraisal of these 56 cases in the study indicates that mixed cellularity HL constituting 36 cases (64.3%) was the predominant subtype. This was followed by lymphocyte depleted HL with a total of 11 cases (19.6%). The major site of lymph node involvement where biopsy was taken for histological diagnosis was the cervical group of lymph nodes constituting 78.6%. Staging classification of the disease indicates low frequency of early stage disease (I-II) with 19 cases (33.9%) and high frequency of late stage (III-IV) with 37 cases (66.1%). CONCLUSION: Patients are predominantly males, children and young adults presenting with cervical lymphadenopathy at late stage of the disease, and a dominance of mixed cellularity and lymphocyte depleted histological subtypes were observed.