Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in Ibadan, Nigeria

One hundred patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma were admitted to the University College Hospital in Ibadan, Nigeria between 1960 and 1975. Their cases have been analyzed with respect to clinical findings, histological classification, and response to therapy. There was a preponderance of males over females (2:1) and the majority of the patients (87 percent) had reticulum cell sarcoma. Therapy consisted mainly of single-agent chemotherapy but a few patients had either surgical excision combined with chemotherapy or multiple-agent chemotherapy. The results of treatment were poor because of the very high default rate, late presentation, inadequate supply of drugs, and lack of radiotherapeutic facilities.