Mature T-cell and natural killer Cell neoplasms at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital

Abstract

Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL) is the most common haematological malignancy encountered in adults at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital. Worldwide, there has been an increase in the incidence of NHL. This is related to the increased use of iatrogenic immunosuppression, environmental factors such as exposure to radiation and other occupational hazards including pesticides and herbicides, and most importantly in our setting, exposure to viruses such as HIV. The increase in incidence is particularly true with regard to B-cell NHL. Non Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL) constitutes a heterogeneous group of clonal lymphoid neoplasms of B-cell, and T-cell/NK-cell origin. Each of these two broad immunophenotypic categories is further subdivided into precursor or peripheral/mature subtypes. This study was aimed at retrospectively exploring the mature or peripheral T-cell/NK-cell lymphoid neoplasms in adults, as seen at the Clinical Haematology Unit, Department of Medicine, Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital (CHBAH) during the period 01/01/2004 to 01/01/2015 (12 years).