Epidemiology and Clinical Presentations of Head and Neck Lymphomas

Background: Head and neck cancer is the sixth most common malignancy worldwide. Neoplastic lymphoma is a malignant origin of colonization of B cell, T cell and NK cell. It is the third most common malignancy in the head and neck area after squamous cell carcinoma and salivary gland tumors. Lymphoma is divided into Non Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) and Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) groups. They have two peak ages of 20-30 and 70-60 years. The first symptom of lymphoma in patients is usually a painless, enlarging lymph node. Then we can mention weight loss, night sweats, fever. Diagnosis is based on clinical findings and biopsy.The aim of this study was to determine the frequency and histopathologic subtypes of the head and neck lymphomas and to evaluate the clinical symptoms and diagnostic processes in patients with lymphoma diagnosed in ENT department of East Azerbaijan University of Medical Sciences.

Methods: The study population has 40 samples. There were 602 seropositive biopsies and 59 patients with diagnosed lymphoma, 19 of which were excluded due to lack of records and exclusion criteria.Patients' records were reviewed for age, sex, clinical presentation, laboratory tests, Paraclinic and pathologic outcome.

Results: The Hodgkin's lymphoma was 62.5% more common than non Hodgkin's lymphoma. Most patients were in the age range of 10-20 years. Mean age of patients was 35.6 ±24 24.72. 82.5% of patients referred to the hospital with complaints of neck swelling.The most prevalent subtype of Hodgkin's lymphoma was nodular sclerosis (44%) and the most prevalent subtype of non Hodgkin's was diffuse large B cell 36%.

Conclusion: lymphoma should be considered as one of the differential diagnoses of cervical swelling in the diagnostic and therapeutic studies of patients. Also, males and age groups of 10-20 years and 60-70 years should be considered important.