Non Burkitt's non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in Ile-Ife

To determine the frequency, age and sex patterns of non-Burkitt's non-Hodgkin's lymphoma among cases of lymphoma seen at the histopathology department of the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex, Ile-Ife, Nigeria. The records of patients with histologically diagnosed non-Burkitt's non-Hodgkin's lymphoma seen over a period of five years were studied. The classification was based on the Working Formulation. The sex and the age at diagnosis as well as the sites of the lesions were noted. Of the fifty three cases of non-Burkitt's non-Hodgkin's lymphoma seen during the study period 54.7% had intermediate grade tumours; 24.5% has low grade and 20.8% had high grade tumours. 92.5% of the cases occurred in adults over the age of 20 years. There was also a male predominance. Nodal as well as extranodal sites were involved and peripheral lymph node involvement most often affected the cervical group of lymph nodes. The results showed that non-Burkitt's non-Hodgkin's lymphoma is predominantly a disease of adults which more often affected males than females. The intermediate grade type with the possibility of cure is the type most often seen in this study. Therefore, early diagnosis and preventive measures against known risk factors in our environment, where possible, are strongly recommended.