Skip to main content
Article
Diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) in Pakistan: an emerging epidemic?
Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
  • Muhammad Bilal Abid, Aga Khan University
  • Faria Nasim, Aga Khan University
  • Kashif Anwar, Aga Khan University
  • Shahid Pervez, Aga Khan University
Publication Date
10-1-2005
Document Type
Article
Abstract

There has been a recent concern among oncological clinicians and pathologists of our region regarding the ‍disproportionate increase in the number of patients presenting with diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL). This ‍prompted us to conduct a thorough, hospital-based epidemiological study in a major referral center of Pakistan. A ‍total of 780 specimens were collected over last half decade from cases classified as adult Non Hodgkin’s lymphoma ‍(NHL). Out of these 780, 596 (76.4 %) were diagnosed as DLBCLs. The gender ratio was 2.3: 1 (M: F) and the ‍median age was 47.2 years, with an age range of 15-85 years. Nodal-NHLs constituted 42.2 % of all adult NHLs, with ‍the cervical lymph nodes as the most frequent nodal site of presentation. The most frequent extranodal site was the ‍gastro-intestinal tract (GIT), followed by the head and neck. In conclusion, we document an astonishingly high ‍number of DLBCL amounting to an emerging epidemic in Pakistan, with a consideration of probable etiopathogenetic ‍factors. ‍

Citation Information
Muhammad Bilal Abid, Faria Nasim, Kashif Anwar and Shahid Pervez. "Diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) in Pakistan: an emerging epidemic?" Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention Vol. 6 Iss. 4 (2005) p. 531 - 534
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/shahid_pervez/80/