Head and neck non-Hodgkin's lymphoma: a 20-year demographic study of 381 cases

Malignant lymphoma is a lymphoreticular malignancy with considerable geographic variation. The objective of the present study was to provide a preliminary report on patients with head and neck non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) in a selected Iranian population. In a retrospective review from 1981 through 2001, all cases of NHL occurring in the head and neck region were selected. Histological slides were reviewed and classified according to the Working Formulation. Clinical data including patients' age, sex, initial anatomic site of disease and presenting symptoms were also recorded. Information on 381 cases of NHL was retrieved from the archived medical records; 281 cases were nodal and 100 extranodal. The mean age of the patients with nodal and extranodal disease was 39.3 and 47.7 years, respectively. A significant difference in gender was noted in the nodal group (P<0.001), but not in the extranodal cases. The most common site of involvement in the extranodal subjects was Waldayer's ring. According to histopathologic evaluation, 72% of the specimens were intermediate-, 14% were high-, and 12% were low-grade malignancies. Considering the relative frequency of head and neck lymphoma, establishment of a uniform reporting method seems necessary in order to compare different reports from various populations.