Introduction: Non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (NHL) in China appear to have many characteristics different from those Western countries, but clinical studies to provide details have been rare so far.
Methods: This study retrospectively analyzed the characteristics of clinical and pathological data for the 1248 NHL patients in the Shandong region of China between 2002 and 2010.
Results: From 2002 to 2010, the number of clinical cases of NHL increased year by year. Among the total, 64.7% were B-cell NHL, 30.3% were T-cell NHL, including: diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) (40.9%), extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma, nasal type (NK/T) (10.0%); peripheral T cell lymphoma, unspecified (PTL) (9.2%); follicular lymphoma (FL) (6.4%); extranodal marginal zone B cell lymphoma (MALT) (5.4%); precursor T lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma (T-LBL) (4.5%); and chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL) (3.2%). The average age of onset was 47.7 ∓ 16.3 (18-85), and the male to female ratio was 1.57:1. Compared with Shanghai and Shanxi in China, the proportion of NK/T cell lymphoma in this region was higher. In comparison with other countries, the FL and CLL/SLL in this region were significantly lower, while the incidence of T-cell lymphoma was significantly higher than that in the United States and Europe.
Conclusions: The clinical and pathological distribution of NHL in Shandong region of China is consistent with that of Asian populations, but with significant difference from the Western countries. The NK/T cell lymphoma in this region was significantly higher.