Patterns of Lymphoproliferative Disorders in Ethiopia, Based on Single-Center Experience

Background: Similar to other resource-poor countries, the patterns of lymphoproliferative disorders (LPD) in Ethiopia and in our setup are not clearly known. Here, we describe our experience based on conventional histopathology diagnosis.

Method: This is a retrospective data-based cross-sectional study from August 2018 to December 2021 at St. Paul's Millennium Medical College, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Histopathology reports of cases with diagnoses of LPDs were retrieved from the department of pathology electronic report archive. The diagnostic sample included excisional lymph node and or core tissue biopsy. The diagnosis was based on conventional histopathology (hematoxylin and eosin staining) of the sample. Pertinent data were extracted using a data collection sheet. It was reviewed and analyzed using SPSS-24.

Result:A total of 168 patients with necessary documented information were identified; 109(64.9%) were males; the mean (range) age was 46 (16-86) years. The majority of the patients, 139 (82.7%) had Non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHL) with major histological sub-types being Small lymphocytic lymphoma (24.5%) and Diffuse large cell lymphoma (15.8%). Hodgkin Lymphoma (HL) accounted for 17(10.1%) cases. Sub-classification as a Classical HL was possible in 13 (76.5%) cases(fig.1). But it was not able to sub-classify NHLs histologically in 48(34.5%) and HLs in 3(17.6%) of the cases. Specific lymphoma diagnosis was not possible in 12(7.1%) patients with lymphoproliferative disorders on which an atypical LPD diagnosis was rendered. The most common biopsied lymph node area was the cervical lymph node (33.3%) (table 1) while the most common extranodal site was gastrointestinal (11.9%).

Conclusion: Our study indicates that accurate diagnosis and classification of lymphoproliferative disorders is limited in our setup. Therefore, Capacity building in ancillary tests as limited panel immunohistochemistry and quality improvement projects may help to alleviate the shortcomings.

No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.