DISTRIBUTION AND INCIDENCE RATES OF LYMPHOID NEOPLASMS ACCORDING TO THE REAL CLASSIFICATION IN A SINGLE INSTITUTION - A PROSPECTIVE-STUDY OF 940 CASES

Recently, a new classification system for lymphoid neoplasms, known as the REAL classification, has been proposed. Our aim is to know the di stribution of lymphoid neoplasms according to this schema and compare it with the Updated Kiel classification. We also estimate incidence ra tes of lymphoid neoplasms in our area. From January 1993 to November 1 996, 940 patients were diagnosed of lymphoid neoplasm in our center. H istologic material was prospectively classified according to both the REAL and the Updated Kiel classifications. According to the REAL class ification, distribution of all cases of lymphoid neoplasms was as foll ows: 73.6% B-cell neoplasm, 9.4% T-cell neoplasms, 9.6% Hodgkin's dise ase and 7.4% unclassifiable. Considering only non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (NHL), 87.2% of cases could be categorized according to the REAL and 7 7.7% with the Updated Kiel classification. These figures differed due to unrecognized categories in the Kiel schema. Annual incidence rate p er 100,000 inhabitants was 20.1 for lymphoid neoplasms, and NHL alone was 9.0. In conclusion, the REAL classification allowed us to categori ze more cases of NHL than did the Updated Kiel classification, fundame ntally because of the inclusion of some recently described entities.