AGE-RELATED SURVIVAL IN NON-HODGKINS-LYMPHOMA

Purpose: Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) occurs in patients in all age grou ps and its incidence in Finland has constantly increased since the 195 0s, In this study the change in the incidence rate and the effect of a ge on the survival of NHL patients was investigated. The aim of the st udy was to determine the relative survival by age during follow-up thr ough a cancer registry. Patients and Methods: The data base of the Fin nish Cancer Registry was used to collect information of all NHL cases registered in Finland in 1960-1992. A total of 2,824 newly diagnosed c ases of NHL were included. Of them 1,414 (50%) were diagnosed in men a nd 1,410 (50%) in women. Results: The age-specific incidence rates in both sexes indicated a significant increase (p < 0.0001) in incidence for patients from 1960 to 1992. The 1- and 5-year relative survival ra tes were best for patients diagnosed at the age of 40-44 years. During 10 years' survival two peaks were observed, in the age group of 20-24 and 40-44 years. The relative survival rate was found to deteriorate with an increase in the age of the patients. Patients with local NHL l ymphoma had a similar survival regardless of their age at diagnosis. R elative survival of patients aged over 65 years with extensive lymphom a was 36% of the survival observed for younger patients. Conclusion: T here is a trend for an increase in the incidence of NHL. Because NHL i s more common in patients over 60 years of age than in the younger age groups, an increasing incidence indicates that more elderly patients will need treatment in the years to come.