UK Hodgkin's lymphoma incidence statistics

Hodgkin’s lymphoma accounts for about 0.5% of all cancers diagnosed in the UK, yet it is one of the most common cancers among older children and adolescents. Hodgkin's lymphoma is also one of the most curable forms of cancer.

This section deals with Hodgkin's lymphoma in adults. Hodgkin's lymphoma statistics for children are presented in the childhood cancer section.

Hodgkin's lymphoma is a type of cancer affecting the lymphatic system ( Figure 1.1).

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There are around 1,600 new cases of Hodgkin’s lymphoma diagnosed each year in the UK, accounting for only 1 in 200 cases of all cancers diagnosed. Table 1.11-4 shows the numbers and rates of new cases of Hodgkin's Lymphoma in the UK and its constituent countries.

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In the UK there are two peaks in the age-specific incidence of Hodgkin’s lymphoma, one in young people aged 20-25 and another in older adults aged 75-80 years. ( Figure 1.21-4). Incidence rates for Hodgkin’s lymphoma in UK males are higher than in females. Hodgkin’s lymphoma is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer in people aged 15-29 years, and the sixth most commonly diagnosed cancer in children under 15.

It has been estimated that the lifetime risk of developing Hodgkin's lymphoma is 1 in 448 for men and 1 in 596 for women in the UK. These were calculated in May 2009 using incidence and mortality data for 2001-2005. 10

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There are several different pathologic types of Hodgkin’s lymphoma recognised. The commonest is Classical Hodgkin’s Lymphoma which is further sub-divided into nodular sclerosis, mixed cellularity, lymphocyte-rich, and lymphocyte-depleted types 5. Nodular sclerosing Hodgkin’s lymphoma accounts for nearly 60% of all newly diagnosed cases of the disease, and the mixed cellularity subtype accounts for around 15% of cases. Lymphocyte-rich constitute around 10% of cases and the lymphocyte-deplete type is uncommon. The other, much less common, type of Hodgkin’s lymphoma described in the WHO classification is nodular lymphocyte-predominant Hodgkin’s lymphoma which constitutes only 5% of all cases of the disease 6.

The incidence of Hodgkin’s lymphoma subtypes varies by age-group and socio-economic status 6. Mixed cellularity disease is more common, especially at younger ages, in poorer countries, while the incidence of nodular sclerosis is higher in more affluent populations. In the UK, incidence rates for nodular sclerosis peak in young adults. Female rates are higher in adolescence and young adulthood, this gender difference is reversed by age 30 after which male rates are higher ( Figure 1.37).

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The age-specific incidence of the mixed cellularity subtype of Hodgkin’s lymphoma increases steeply up to age 20 and then remains at around 0.5-0.7 and 0.3-0.5 per 100,000 population in males and females respectively. The incidence increases with age but is consistently higher for men than for women ( Figure 1.37).

Since the mid-1970s age-standardised incidence rates for Hodgkin’s lymphoma in Britain have decreased, however, since the mid-1980s they have remained unchanged at around 3 per 100,000 males and 2 per 100,000 females Figure 1.4.

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One possible explanation for declining trends in the late 1970s-early 1980s is that some lymphomas previously registered as Hodgkin’s lymphoma are now classified as non-Hodgkin lymphoma5-8 for which there have been increasing trends over the last two decades (see non-Hodgkin lymphoma section). These trends are also reflected in the age-specific rates for Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

The UK Hodgkin's lymphoma incidence trend is shown in Figure 1.5.

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There is wide international variation in the incidence of Hodgkin’s lymphoma, the variation is similar for males and females ( Figure 1.69). The highest rates are in Western Asia with rates in Yemen and Lebanon at >5.5 per 100,000, rates in the UK are around half these. In many parts of Asia, such as Bangladesh, Japan and China, incidence rates for Hodgkin’s lymphoma are <1 per 100,000 population.

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There are also variations in Hodgkin's Lymphoma incidence between the 25 countries of the European Union (EU) ( Figure 1.79). Within the EU the highest rates are in Austria and Greece and the lowest rates are in Spain and Slovakia. The reported incidence of Hodgkin’s lymphoma in the UK is one of the lowest in the EU and is significantly below the EU average.

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