Institution: | 1. Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut, Lebanon 2. Institut National de Pathologie, Beirut, Lebanon 3. H?tel-Dieu de France University Hospital, Beirut, Lebanon 4. Hammoud Hospital University Medical Center, Saida, Lebanon 5. Makassed General Hospital, Beirut, Lebanon 6. Saint Georges Hospital, Beirut, Lebanon 7. Islamic Hospital, Tripoli, Lebanon 8. Department of Internal Medicine, American University of Beirut Medical Center, PO Box 113-6044, Beirut, Lebanon 9. Sahel General Hospital, Beirut, Lebanon 10. Trad Hospital, Beirut, Lebanon 11. Middle East Institute of Health, Beirut, Lebanon 12. Saint Georges Hospital, Ajaltoun, Lebanon 13. Rizk Hospital, Beirut, Lebanon 14. Bekaa General Hospital, Bekaa, Lebanon
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Abstract: | Incidence of various Hodgkin (HL) and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) subtypes and association with viruses in Lebanon are not known. We undertook a nationwide study of 272 patients diagnosed with lymphoma in 2007. HL comprised 32.7 % (n?=?89) of cases while NHL represented 67.3 % (n?=?183). Consistent with the literature, nodular sclerosis was the most predominant HL subtype (n?=?57/89). Among NHL, B-cell NHL represented 88 % (n?=?161/183), T-cell NHL 9 % (n?=?17/183), whereas in 2.7 % it was not classifiable. The B-cell NHL comprised predominantly diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (46 %) and follicular lymphoma (23 %). 81 cases were reviewed by a panel of pathologists with 87.6 % concordance rate. Serology was negative for hepatitis C in 122 tested cases. HIV was positive in 2 cases. Two adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma were HTLV-I positive. EBV IgG were positive in 88.5 % of cases. 38 EBV seropositive cases 27 NHL (24 B-cell, 3 T-cell) and 11 HL] were studied for EBV genome expression using EBV-encoded RNA (EBER)-in situ hybridization. EBER expression was positive in 8 (21 %) cases (6 HL, 2 T-cell NHL). The distribution of lymphoma subtypes in Lebanon appears similar to that of Western countries. The high rate of EBV positivity in HL and T-cell lymphoma by EBER deserves further investigation. |