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8.1 Summary
Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) consists of a group of more than 20 different malignant lymphoproliferative diseases that originate from lymphocytes. NHL was the fifth most common cancer in Ireland, accounting for 3.4% of all malignant neoplasms, excluding non-melanoma skin cancer, in women and 3.6% in men (Table 8.1). The average number of new cases diagnosed each year was approximately 354 in women and 392 in men. During 1995-2007, the number of new cases diagnosed increased by approximately 3% per annum overall.
The risk of developing NHL up to the age of 74 was 1 in 102 for women and 1 in 80 for men, and was higher in NI than in RoI for both males and females. At the end of 2008, 1,255 females and 1,607 males aged under 65, and 1,477 females and 1,266 males aged 65 and over, were alive up to 15 years after their NHL diagnosis.
Table 8.1 Summary information for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in Ireland, 1995-2007
Ireland | RoI | NI | ||||
females | males | females | males | females | males | |
% of all new cancer cases | 2.5% | 2.6% | 2.3% | 2.5% | 2.9% | 2.8% |
% of all new cancer cases excluding non-melanoma skin cancer | 3.4% | 3.6% | 3.2% | 3.5% | 3.8% | 3.8% |
average number of new cases per year | 354 | 392 | 224 | 265 | 130 | 127 |
cumulative risk to age 74 | 1.0% | 1.2% | 0.9% | 1.2% | 1.1% | 1.3% |
15-year prevalence (1994-2008) | 2732 | 2873 | 1782 | 1944 | 950 | 929 |
Age at diagnosis of NHL was younger for men than for women—43% of cases presented in men under 60 compared to 33% of women (Figure 8.1). Approximately 17% of women and 10% of men were aged 80 years or older at diagnosis. Age at diagnosis was also slightly younger in RoI than in NI.
Figure 8.1 Age distribution of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma cases in Ireland, 1995-2007, by sex
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