Assessment of bone marrow involvement in cases with lymphoma: A clinicopathological study

Abstract

Introduction: Lymphomas are primary cancers of the lymphoreticular system. Lymphomas continue to represent a challenge to medical science due to their high death rate. The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence and patterns of bone marrow involvement in Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma patients. Materials and methods: We examined a total of 52 biopsy-confirmed lymphoma cases. Notable symptoms included significant weight loss (6-12% of body weight) over the previous six months, fever, pruritus, and night sweats. We performed all routine blood and urine tests, along with a bone marrow exam. Results: Within the Hodgkin's group, the most common histological type was mixed cellular (61%), followed by nodular sclerosis (28%) and lymphocyte-depleted (11%). In the non-Hodgkin's group, we classify 80.83% of cases as well-differentiated diffuse lymphocytic, and 29.17% as diffuse histiocytic nodular. Approximately 17.85% of cases showed positive bone marrow infiltration, with two cases indicating diffuse bone marrow involvement. Conclusion: The bone marrow involvement was equally common in both the Hodgkin's and non-Hodkin's groups. The incidence of bone marrow involvement was similar to prior studies in the Hodgkin's group, but it was lower in the non-Hodkin's group when compared to previous series.