Hodgkin's disease in Medellin, Colombia

Abstract

Four hundred and fifty two cases of Hodgkin's disease (H.D.) were studied in Medellin, Colombia, following the Rye histological classification: The relative frequency of H.D. was 2.3% for all malignancies and 34% for the solid lymphoreticular tumors. The percentage of H.D. in children as compared with adults was 27%, which is higher than usually reported. The age curve of incidence was bimodal with a first high peak at age 5--9 years and a lower second peak between 15--25 years. Males predominated mainly in children, 4.5--1. The epidemiological pattern for H.D. in our area generally corresponded with the Type I recently described for developing countries; but a high frequency for Nodular Sclerosis in children, with unusual anatomical localizations, more severe clinical manifestations, and poorer prognosis seems to indicate complex factors in the etiopathogenesis of the disease in the same geographical area.