Characteristics of Hodgkin lymphoma in a defined group of Iranian pediatric patients.

This study was conducted to describe the characteristics of Hodgkin lymphoma in Iranian children. In a referral center for pediatric oncology (Mofid Hospital) in Tehran, patient data over a 10-year period were retrieved and recorded accordingly. Among 82 cases, 73.2% were male, 26.8% were female, and 70.7% were 5-9 years old. About 40% of patients were in stage III and 42.7% had systemic signs. Cervical nodes were commonly involved (91.5%). The most frequent histological subtype was mixed cellularity. The main hematological features were anemia (47.6%), lymphopenia (20.7%), and eosinophilia (8.7%). Survival rate was 72%, and 8.4% of patients were deceased. A 3% recurrence rate was observed in our patients. A significant relationship was found between the stage of disease and systemic signs (P<0.0005, χ2). Despite diagnosis of Hodgkin lymphoma in many children in Iran being made in higher stages, the mortality rate is relatively low.