The epidemiology of lymphoma in Jordan: A nationwide population study of 4189 cases according to World Health Organization classification system.

OBJECTIVE/BACKGROUND: Lymphoma is a common human cancer that shows a variable geographic incidence worldwide. It is the fourth most common cancer in Jordan. Systemic reports of descriptive epidemiology on lymphoma from the Middle East are limited. METHODS: A nationwide multi-institutional retrospective study was conducted covering all major hospitals and laboratories that provide diagnostic services. We collected data on all cases diagnosed with lymphoma between 2014 and 2019. The included variables were patients' age, gender, anatomic site, and the histologic type according to the World Health Organization classification system. RESULTS: A total of 4189 cases were diagnosed with lymphoma. There was a statistically significant gender difference (p < .05), as 57.5% of patients were males. The peak incidence occurred at age 25-55 years. There were 1,652 (39%) cases of Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) and 2,537 (61%) of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), where nodular sclerosis (67%) and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (53%) were the most common subtypes, respectively. The average age-adjusted incidence rates per 100,000 population were 8.01 for all lymphomas, 4.33 for NHL, and 3.16 for HL and all remained stable over the 6 years. CONCLUSION: HL is the most common lymphoma in Jordan, with a percentage higher than most of reported studies in Asian and Western countries. It also shows a unimodal distribution of age-specific incidence rates, with a single peak in young adults. The incidence rate of HL is higher than Eastern countries but comparable to the West. In contrast, NHL demonstrates a lower incidence rate than Western countries but a similar distribution of subtypes, as mature T/natural killer-cell lymphomas were rare.

Brucellosis presenting as myelofibrosis: first case report.

We describe the case of a 29-year-old woman who presented with pancytopenia and myelofibrosis. Brucella melitensis was identified in her blood. The patient recovered completely with doxycycline and rifampin. A repeat bone marrow biopsy showed hypercellularity without myelofibrosis. Bone marrow findings in cases of pancytopenia due to brucellosis reveal normocellularity, hypercellularity, hemophagocytosis, or granuloma. To our knowledge this is the first report of brucellosis causing myelofibrosis. Brucellosis should be considered as a possible cause of myelofibrosis in endemic areas.

Primary myelodysplastic syndrome in Jordan: a single-centre experience.

OBJECTIVE: Study of the disease patterns and clinical evaluation of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis was carried out on 85 patients, with MDS who were followed up over a period of 23 years at Jordan University Hospital, Amman, Jordan. Cases were analyzed according to the French, American and British Classification. RESULTS: Of the 85 patients, 42 (49.4%) were females and 43 (50%) males; mean age was 59 +/- 19 years (range 18-88). Most subtypes found in patients were refractory anemia (RA) in 27 (31.8%) and RA with excess blasts (RAEB) in 28 (32.9%). Adverse prognostic indicators were RAEB subtype and requirement for blood transfusion. CONCLUSION: Our findings showed that MDSs appeared at a younger age and tended to be of the aggressive subtype. Chronic myelomonocytic leukemia subtype seemed to appear dominantly in men.

Brucella glomerulonephritis resulting in end-stage renal disease: a case report and a brief review of the literature.

Brucella glomerulonephritis is a rare condition with only a few reported cases. We review the literature, and describe a 24-year-old female who presented with edema and proteinuria. Blood grew Brucella melitensis. Renal biopsy showed diffuse proliferative glomerulonephritis. The patient progressed to end-stage renal disease despite antibiotic and steroid therapy.

Primary testicular and paratesticular lymphoma: a retrospective clinicopathologic study of 34 cases with emphasis on differential diagnosis.

CONTEXT: Recent reports indicate the rate of primary testicular lymphomas is on the rise and misdiagnosis can still occur. OBJECTIVE: To review and investigate the clinicopathologic features of primary testicular lymphoma with emphasis on the differential diagnosis. Discussion about the issue of misdiagnosis is also presented. DESIGN: Retrospective review of pathology archives in 3 medical centers for cases fulfilling criteria of primary testicular lymphoma or paratesticular lymphoma was carried out. Clinicopathologic and immunohistochemical features were studied and analyzed. RESULTS: The search identified 34 cases. Patients ranged from 4 to 87 years of age (mean, 55 years). All presented with a testicular/paratesticular mass and were stage I. The masses ranged from 2.5 to 13 cm (mean, 5.6 cm). Microscopically, the tumors often had an intertubular growth pattern or diffuse arrangement of predominantly large cells with pleomorphic, twisted nuclei and small nucleoli. Mitotic activity was brisk and apoptotic bodies were abundant. Thirty-two tumors were classified as diffuse large cell lymphomas; immunophenotype was determined in 21 of these and all were of B-cell type. The median survival was 96 months. The rate of initial misdiagnosis was unexpectedly high (5 cases, 15%). CONCLUSIONS: Most cases of primary testicular lymphoma fall into the broad category of diffuse large cell lymphoma and the majority are B-cell type with particularly high proliferative activity when characterized by appropriate immunophenotyping. Misdiagnosis can occur, especially in those cases in which presentation occurs at an age similar to that for germ cell tumors, showing the need for caution and appropriate immunostaining when a testicular neoplasm has an atypical appearance for a germ cell tumor.

Primary testicular diffuse large B-cell lymphoma belongs to the nongerminal center B-cell-like subgroup: A study of 18 cases.

The most common type of primary testicular lymphoma is diffuse large B-cell type, which has the potential for aggressive clinical behavior. Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma can be further subclassified into two major prognostic categories: germinal center B-cell-like and nongerminal center B-cell-like. Such distinction is made possible using the immunohistochemical expression of CD10, Bcl-6 and MUM1. The aim of this study was to stratify primary testicular lymphoma of the diffuse large B-cell type according to this scheme. Immunohistochemical stains for CD10, Bcl-6 and MUM1 were performed on 18 cases of primary testicular lymphoma of diffuse large B-cell type. Subclassification was carried out as previously described where CD10 and/or Bcl-6 positivity and negativity for MUM1 were considered indicative of germinal center B-cell-like type and the opposite expression as nongerminal center B-cell-like type. The proliferative activity was determined using immunostaining with the Ki-67 antibody. Of 18 cases, 16 (89%) were found to belong to the nongerminal center B-cell-like type. Two cases (11%) were classified as germinal center B-cell-like type; one had a CD10-positive, Bcl-6-positive and MUM1-negative profile, and the other was CD10 negative, Bcl-6 positive and MUM1 negative. The former occurred in a 38-year-old patient who was human immunodeficiency virus positive. All the cases expressed high proliferative activity (> or =50% Ki-67 labeling). We conclude that most (89%) primary testicular lymphomas of the diffuse large B-cell type belong to the nongerminal center B-cell-like subgroup and have high proliferative activity.

Necrobiotic xanthogranuloma associated with paraproteinemia and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma developing into chronic lymphocytic leukemia: the first case reported in the literature and review of the literature.

A 56-year-old married female presented in May 1998 with a 5-month history of xanthelasma of the eyelids, followed 4 months later by two enlarged lymph nodes of the left side of the neck and three of the left axilla. At the same time, she developed xanthomatous patches on the face, neck, and shoulders (Fig. 1). The cutaneous lesions were xanthomatous nodules and plaques, affecting the periorbital regions. Later, the whole face was affected, followed by ulcerated lesions on the scalp, chest, back, and extremities (Fig. 2). The skin lesions became painful, pruritic, ulcerated tumors (Fig. 3). In July 1998, computed tomography (CT) scans of the chest and abdomen with contrast medium showed pretracheal, bilateral axillary, right retrochural, paracaval, aortocaval, and para-aortic lymph node enlargement. These findings were suggestive of lymphoma. CT scan also showed slight heterogeneous hypodensity in the upper part of the right lobe of the liver, suggesting fatty infiltration. The spleen, pancreas, and suprarenal glands appeared normal. One cervical and two left axillary lymph nodes were excised. They revealed total replacement of the nodular architecture by a diffuse proliferation of mature lymphoid cells having small nuclei and a crumbled chromatin pattern, and very rare mitosis. It was concluded from the lymph node biopsies that these changes were typical of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, diffuse and small cell type, of low-grade malignancy. A bone marrow aspirate showed a marrow heavily infiltrated by lymphoid cells with some immaturity. The megakaryopoiesis was adequate. Trephine biopsies showed similar changes. Iron stores appeared to be absent. The bone marrow picture was consistent with diffuse, well-differentiated non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, developing into chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Endoscopy showed antral-type gastric mucosa exhibiting mild chronic gastritis. Skin biopsy from a fresh lesion on the back showed a diffuse inflammatory cell infiltrate with collections of histiocytic cells. It also showed necrobiotic foci, surrounded by mixed inflammatory cells, dark palisaded foamy histiocytes, and a few Touton giant cells. These findings are compatible with necrobiotic xanthogranuloma (NXG) (Figs 4 and 5). Blood film showed normochromic, normocytic erythrocytes with anisopoikilocytotic leukocytes and normal platelets. The sedimentation rate was 90 mm in the first hour. The blood picture also showed monoclonal IgG paraprotein (3170 mg/dL) of the kappa light chain type. The patient was treated by the oncologist for her lymphoma, and was given Cytoxan, prednisolone, endoxan, Leukeran, and melphalan. She showed an excellent response to pulsed treatment with steroids (60 mg prednisolone orally daily for 5 days, repeated every month for 6 months). She also responded to Leukeran at a dose of 5 mg daily for 5 days every month for 6 months, and showed regression in the size of the lymph nodes. The treatment of her skin lesions was unsatisfactory in spite of the fact that she was given cyclosporine and both systemic and topical corticosteroids.

New trends in the clinicopathological features of differentiated thyroid cancer in Central Jordan.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the current trends in presentation and distribution of differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) at the largest referral hospital for endocrine cancers in Central Jordan. METHODS: We analyzed the clinical features, management and outcome of 110 patients diagnosed with thyroid carcinoma at Jordan University Hospital, Amman, between 1996 and 2001. RESULTS: Papillary carcinoma was diagnosed in 87 patients (80%), follicular carcinoma in 3 patients (2.7%), Hurthle cell carcinoma in 8 patients (7.3%), medullary carcinoma in 5 (4.5%), and anaplastic carcinoma in 4 patients (3.6%), metastatic cancer in 2 patients and lymphoma in one patient. Time course analysis showed an increasing trend in surgery for thyroid cancer from 28 cases in 1986-1991 to 48 in 1996-2001. As time advanced, the incidence of locally invasive disease and lymph node involvement markedly increased over the last 5 years of the study (from 28-62%). All patients with follicular carcinoma were diagnosed in the period 1986-1994. After thyroidectomy and a follow up period of 2-15 years, 10 patients died of their disease, 4 of these died within one year from anaplastic thyroid carcinoma. CONCLUSION: The dramatic decline in the incidence of follicular thyroid carcinoma combined with the increase in the advanced forms of thyroid cancer in Central Jordan may suggest a possible environmental factor in thyroid carcinogenesis in this region. We suggest a larger scale studies and steps to investigate the etiologic factors for thyroid carcinogenesis in Central Jordan.