Histopathological subtypes of Hodgkin's disease in childhood in Iraq

The histopathologic studies of 103 patients under 16-years old with Hodgkin's disease including 5 cases who had staging laparotomy during the last 10 years were reviewed. The following conclusions were drawn: 1. No significant sex differences among subtypes were noted. 2. Associated glomerulopathy, nephrotic syndromes, and amyloidosis were occasionally found. 3. In childhood, lymphomas excluding leukemia are the most frequent malignancies. Among the lymphomas, Hodgkin's disease predominates. 4. The most frequent subtype both in the original biopsy and after staging laparatomy was mixed cellularity. The nodular sclerosis type was the rarest. The subtypes generally did not change during the subsequent biopsies and in laparotomy done up to 6 months later. 5. Lymphomas were most frequently noted in cervical area. Males are affected more severely than females. The peak incidence was around 8 years. A brief review and discussion on the comparison of data from other countries are also given.