Epidemiologic Study of Leukemia and Lymphoma in Children Younger than 15 Years Old Referring to Besat Hospital of Hamedan from 2010 to 2020: A Descriptive Study

Cancers are the second cause of death among children. In this study, the clinical manifestations of leukemia and lymphoma in children under 15 years old, referring to Besat Hospital in Hamadan from 2010 to 2020, were investigated.

This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted retrospectively on 203 patients with leukemia and 77 patients with lymphoma aged less than 15 years. Required data including age, gender, place of residence, initial clinical symptoms and manifestations, first laboratory findings, and type of leukemia and lymphoma were extracted from the patients’ records. Data were analyzed using independent t-test and chi-square test.

Leukemia and lymphoma showed more frequency in boys. The most frequent manifestation of the disease in leukemia was fever or weakness in 13 people (39.9%), and the symptom of the disease was pallor in 77 people (37.9%). There was a significant difference between the two types of leukemia in terms of average age (p=0.005), bleeding (p=0.011), and lymphadenopathy (p=0.038). The frequency of Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma was 38 (49.4%) and 39 (50.6%), respectively. Cervical lymphadenopathy was the most common type of lymphadenopathy in patients (56 cases, 72.7%). Lymph node pain and edema were the most common symptoms (57 people, 74%). There was a significant relationship between mediastinal lymphadenopathy and the type of lymphoma (p=0.018), so that mediastinal lymphadenopathy was more frequent in Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Fever is the most common clinical manifestation and pallor is the most common initial clinical symptom of leukemia, and in children with lymphoma, lymph node pain is the most important clinical manifestation.