Malignant Lymphoma In Children Prevelance And Histological Classificatiol In Egypt:

Susan Mohamed Moh El Sawi

Malignant lymphomas have many clinico-epidemiologic features which depend on the geographical location in the world. They represent a continous challenge to epidemiologists, oncologists and biologists (LURES AND COLLINS., 1975).In Egypt and many Middle East countries, malignant lymphomas are gaining special importance. Such importance is based on prevelance figures and many other special clinical features indigenous to this part of the world. (ABOUL NASR and AWNY.,1960).Malignant lymphoma include two major categories, Hodgkin’s disease and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. In our study we attempted to identify all cases representing malignant tumors in children below 12 years in the period 1983-1986. Our cases were 440 derived from Pathology Department Files in the National Cancer Institute. Lymphoma represented 211 cases including Hodgkin’s dis-ease (56.3%) and non-Hodgkin’s (43.6%) lymphomas represented the first common malignant tumor in Pathology Department of NCI with striking male predominance. Concerning the most prevelant histologic types in Hodgkin’s disease, Mixed Cellularity type (59.6%) was the highest in frequency while Lymphocytic Predominant type was (14.2%), then Nodular Sclerosis was the third in order (11.7%); Lymphocytic Depletion type was the lowest (3.3%). However in NHL according to the Working Formulation, the high grade i.e the most aggressive type represented the common type encountered in children, representing 73.9%. The intermediate represented 25% of cases, the least common or rarity was found in the low grade representing only (0.01%). Extranodal lymphomas were also present in our study comprising 15 cases (16.3%) or NHL. The Gastrointestinal lymphomas were the commonest extranodal type.