Abuhalima Dania, Malhis Dima, Qadi Zeina, Taha Adham Abu, Mosleh Sultan, Zyoud Sa'ed H
Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Allied Medical Sciences, An-Najah National University, Nablus, 44839, Palestine.
Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Allied Medical Sciences, An-Najah National University, Nablus, 44839, Palestine.
Sci Rep. 2025 Sep 26;15(1):33057. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-11278-2.
The incidence of childhood cancer has increased, with lymphoma being the third most common malignancy in children and showing improved survival rates. This study aimed to analyse the demographic, clinical, and outcome data of pediatric lymphoma patients, compare the characteristics of the HL and NHL subtypes, and evaluate treatment outcomes. A single-center retrospective cohort study was conducted at An-Najah National University Hospital (NNUH) in Palestine from 2013 to 2023. Seventy-five pediatric patients (≤ 18 years) newly diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) or non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) were included, and data from electronic medical records were used. Follow-up data were analysed via Kaplan-Meier survival curves to determine event-free survival (EFS) and overall survival (OAS).This study revealed a male predominance in both NHL (1.9:1) and HL (1.3:1) patients, with a mean age of 9 years for NHL patients and 10 years for HL patients. The majority of patients were from the West Bank (56%) or Gaza (44%). NHL patients commonly presented with GI symptoms (31.7%), whereas HL patients (70.6%) presented with neck masses. B symptoms were more common in HL patients (55.9%). The tumor stage also differed, with NHL often being stage III and HL being stage II. The predominant subtypes were Burkitt's lymphoma (BL) for NHL and classical nodular sclerosis for HL. Overall survival was 96%, with 4% mortality. During the follow-up period (mean 26.5 ± 18 months), 84% of the patients had events, with 86.7% of patients remaining event-free. Relapse occurred in 13.3% of patients, predominantly in the NHL group, and the prevalence of OAS was 96%. The 2-year event-free survival (EFS) rate was 85.1%, and the 2-year overall survival (OAS) rate was 96.6%, as estimated via Kaplan‒Meier survival analysis. Our study provides insights into the clinical characteristics and short-term outcomes of pediatric lymphoma patients in Palestine. Pediatric lymphoma is more common in males and primarily affects children over 10 years of age. HL is less prevalent, has a higher survival rate, and most commonly presents with a neck mass. In contrast, NHL is more common, is associated with higher relapse and mortality rates, and often presents with gastrointestinal symptoms. Burkitt's lymphoma (BL) is the most common NHL subtype and is not strongly associated with B symptoms. These findings emphasize the importance of early diagnosis and continuous follow-up in optimizing treatment outcomes. Further studies with larger cohorts and longer follow-up periods are needed to validate these findings and assess long-term survival and cure rates.
儿童癌症的发病率有所上升，淋巴瘤是儿童中第三大常见恶性肿瘤，且生存率有所提高。本研究旨在分析儿童淋巴瘤患者的人口统计学、临床和结局数据，比较霍奇金淋巴瘤（HL）和非霍奇金淋巴瘤（NHL）亚型的特征，并评估治疗结局。2013年至2023年在巴勒斯坦的纳贾赫国立大学医院（NNUH）进行了一项单中心回顾性队列研究。纳入了75例新诊断为霍奇金淋巴瘤（HL）或非霍奇金淋巴瘤（NHL）的儿科患者（≤18岁），并使用了电子病历中的数据。通过Kaplan-Meier生存曲线分析随访数据，以确定无事件生存期（EFS）和总生存期（OAS）。本研究显示，NHL患者（1.9:1）和HL患者（1.3:1）均以男性为主，NHL患者的平均年龄为9岁，HL患者为10岁。大多数患者来自约旦河西岸（56%）或加沙（44%）。NHL患者常见胃肠道症状（31.7%），而HL患者（70.6%）表现为颈部肿块。B症状在HL患者中更常见（55.9%）。肿瘤分期也有所不同，NHL常为III期，HL为II期。NHL的主要亚型是伯基特淋巴瘤（BL），HL是经典结节硬化型。总生存率为96%，死亡率为4%。在随访期间（平均26.5±18个月），84%的患者出现事件，86.7%的患者无事件发生。13.3%的患者复发，主要在NHL组，OAS患病率为96%。通过Kaplan-Meier生存分析估计，2年无事件生存期（EFS）率为85.1%，2年总生存期（OAS）率为96.6%。我们的研究为巴勒斯坦儿童淋巴瘤患者的临床特征和短期结局提供了见解。儿童淋巴瘤在男性中更常见，主要影响10岁以上的儿童。HL不太常见，生存率较高，最常见的表现是颈部肿块。相比之下，NHL更常见，与更高的复发率和死亡率相关，常表现为胃肠道症状。伯基特淋巴瘤（BL）是最常见的NHL亚型，与B症状无密切关联。这些发现强调了早期诊断和持续随访对优化治疗结局的重要性。需要进行更大样本量和更长随访期的进一步研究来验证这些发现，并评估长期生存率和治愈率。
