Incidence of malignant lymphoproliferative diseases by stage and histological variants in central Italy: a population based study 1982-1994.

A population-based epidemiological study that concerns the estimate of incidence rates of Hodgkin's Disease (HD) and Non Hodgkin's Lymphoma (NHL) in a Central Italy area was performed. All the new cases of HD and NHL diagnosed from 1982 till 1994 in the target population were collected by multiple information sources. The temporal trend of incidence rates and their relation with age, gender and histological variant were analyzed. In the considered period 95 cases of HD and 297 cases of NHL were collected. Constant age-adjusted incidence rates of HD were observed, while an increasing trend of NHL incidence rates was observed especially for cases at presentation in stage III and IV and for histotypes G, H and I. The investigations carried out on patients with HD have shown that this condition prevails in women in the younger age groups, while in men presentation occurs more frequently at an advanced age. Moreover the authors have confirmed previous reports of a distinctly increased incidence of nodular sclerosis in contrast to the other three histological variants which do not show a juvenile peak but a gradual increase in incidence with advancing age. The epidemiological features of NHL's observed correspond to the standard incidence rates obtained in Europe and throughout the world. NHL's appear to be a pathological entity typical of elderly patients: however high-grade NHL's, in contrast to low-grade NHL's, was present with increased frequency also in childhood and in patients under the age of 30.