Abstract:

Background: Lymphoma is a group of blood malignancies that develop from lymphocytes. Also known as lymphoid neoplasms, these blood malignancies comprise a group of closely related yet heterogeneous diseases, with widely varying clinical features, histology, immunophenotype, and genetic abnormalities Lymphomas have traditionally been classified as either Hodgkin’s lymphoma (HL) or non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) based on the presence or absence of the Reed-Sternberg (RS) cell on histology. HL and NHL are further subtyped into individual entities displaying distinct behavioural, prognostic, and epidemiological characteristics, with varying responses to treatment. NHL subtypes include Burkitt’s lymphoma (BL), diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL), anaplastic large cell lymphoma, lymphoblastic lymphoma, small lymphocytic lymphoma, and marginal zone B cell lymphoma among others. These make up about 90% of all the lymphoma cases worldwide and have recorded a steady increase in their incidence.

Methods: A retrospective study was done using secondary data from archived patient’s files diagnosed with lymphoma from 2017 to 2021 at Bugando Medical Centre Oncology Department in Mwanza Region. The sample population was 100 and purposive sampling technique was used to retrieve patient’s files. Questionnaires were used in collection of data and fed in Microsoft Excel for data assessment. Data analysis was then done through IBM SPSS Statistics 21 computer program.

Results: A total of 100 were enrolled in the study. The results revealed the median patient age was (21±4years) with a range of (3-79) years. The male; female ratio was 3:1. 46(46%) of the total patients had Hodgkin Lymphoma (HL), 42(42%) had Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, 2(2%) had other type of lymphomas and 10(10%) cases where not specified. More than half of patients (63%) initiated treatment in less than three months, (7%) initiated between three and six months, (1%) between seven and twelve months while 4% initiated after one year from biopsy results.

Conclusion: The prevalence of various types of lymphoma is still high affecting wide range of population both males and females from young individuals to the aged-group. Results from this study will enable clinicians to early identify patients with lymphoma and initiate treatment to improve survival.