Head and Neck Lymphoma in an Iranian Population

Introduction: This study is aimed to assess the prevalence and characteristics of head and neck lymphoma in a defined group of an Iranian population.   Materials and Methods: In this retrospective study, 126,450 biopsy reports from two referral Pathology Departments, (Tehran, the capital of Iran) were evaluated. In cases with head and neck lymphoma, other variables such as age, sex, specific location of lesions, and histopathological findings were recorded. Descriptive statistics were used to measure the prevalence and characteristics of head and neck lymphoma by means of SPSS soft ware, version 18.   Results: In total, 513 (0.4%) cases had head and neck lymphoma (46.9% male, 27.1% female) with a mean age of 46±6.2. Of the total lesions, 200 (0.15%) were Hodgkin lymphoma and 313 (0.25%) were non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Nodular sclerosis was the most common (62.5%) histopathological subtype among Hodgkin lymphoma. In non-Hodgkin lymphoma, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (62.3%) had the highest frequency.  In Hodgkin disease, classic Hodgkin lymphocytic rich, mixed cellularity, and lymphocyte depletion were only seen in the neck compartment. Bone involvement was only found in Hodgkin nodular lymphocytic predominant variation. In non-Hodgkin lymphoma, the tongue, palate, and vestibular mucosa were affected only by diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Jaw bones were only involved with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma compared to other bony structures. T-cell lymphoma and mucosal associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma were also found.   Conclusion: Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma is the most common subtype of non-Hodgkin lymphoma especially in the tongue, palate, vestibular mucosa, and jaw bones.