Pediatric Hodgkin Lymphoma Overview in Albania during the Last Decade

ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Mirela Xhafa, Mirzana Kapllanaj, Denada Paja, Enkeleda Duka, Donjeta Bali, Anila Godo

 
For citation: Xhafa M, Kapllanaj M, Paja D, Duka E, Bali D, Good A. Pediatric Hodgkin Lymphoma Overview in Albania during the Last Decade. International Journal of Biomedicine. 2024;14(1):26-29. doi:10.21103/Article14(1)_OA2
 
Originally published March 1, 2024

Abstract: 

Background: Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) is a rare malignancy characterized by a malignant proliferation of cells in the reticuloendothelial system, mainly lymph node, and the presence of Reed-Sternberg cells with a relatively good prognosis compared to other pediatric malignancies. This study aimed to produce epidemiologic and clinical data on HL for Albania, aiming for a better understanding of the disease presentation to diagnose it at an earlier stage with the result of a better outcome.
Methods and Results: This single-center, retrospective study performed in the Mother Theresa University Hospital Center (Tirana, Albania) analyzed epidemiological and clinical data of pediatric patients under 14 years of age diagnosed with HL during a 10-year study period from 2012 to 2022. During the last 10 years, 25 children (ages 0-14) were diagnosed with HL at UHC "Mother Theresa," Tirana. From the demographic data of our study, most patients (68%) were in the age group of 10-14. The male-to-female ratio was 2.12:1. The first clinical presentation was mainly because of lymphadenopathy in 92% of patients, with the presence of B symptoms in 68%.
In most cases, the CBC was not affected, yet 24% of patients had high platelets, and 12% had low RBCs, while WBCs increased in 16% of patients and decreased in 12%.  Lymphopenia and monocytosis were found in more than half of cases. Around 68% of patients had high levels of LDH and CRP. ESR and ALP were high in 64% of patients, Ferritin was high in 32%, and fibrinogen level was high in 28%.
According to the Ann Arbor system, most of our patients were at stage II (32%), followed closely by stage I (28%) and stage III (24%), and only 16% were at stage IV upon presentation.
The most common histopathologic type was nodular sclerosis classical HL, presented in 44% of cases.
Conclusion: HL is a relatively frequent pediatric malignancy in young adults, affecting mainly males, and is diagnosed at a relatively early stage in our country.

Keywords: 
Pediatric Hodgkin lymphoma • lymph node • complete blood count • diagnosis
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Received January 13, 2024.
Accepted February 21, 2024.
©2024 International Medical Research and Development Corporation.