Pattern of lymphoma subtypes in a cohort of Sri Lankan patients.

Objectives: To investigate the pattern of World Health Organization (WHO) lymphoma sub types in a sample from Sri Lanka.

Methods: Retrospective, descriptive study was carried out using biopsy specimens of patients diagnosed or suspected to have a lymphoma received by the Department of Pathology, University of Peradeniya for WHO sub typing. A sample of 227 cases diagnosed to have a lymphoma. All lymphomas were sub classified according to WHO 2007 revised classification of haematopoietic and lymphoid neoplasm using immunohistochemistry.

Results: There were 35 (15.4%) Hodgkin Lymphoma (HL) and 192 (84.6%) non Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL) specimens. Of the NHL the common sub types were diffuse large B cell lymphoma 87 (38.3%), follicular lymphoma 26 (11.5%) and peripheral T cell lymphoma 25 (11%). Of the HL the common sub types were mixed cellular 20 (8.8%) and nodular sclerosis 13 (5.7%). The mean age of the patients was 48.8 ± 19.3 years and male to female ratio was 1.4:1. The observed patterns of both HL and NHL in the study population were similar to those of other South Asian countries such as India and Pakistan.

Conclusions: In the Sri Lankan sample, common sub types of lymphoma were diffuse large B cell lymphoma and follicular lymphoma. The frequency of lymphoma subtypes in the Sri Lankan sample are in accordance with the globally observed variations and similar to those observed in other South Asian countries.