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An association between Epstein-Barr virus and Hodgkin lymphoma has been shown in several parts of the world. The reported incidence of Epstein-Barr virus in Hodgkin lymphoma varies significantly from one country to another and ranges from <30% in Swedish patients to 100% in patients from Kenya. Using in situ hybridization for detection of Epstein-Barr virus-encoded RNA and immunohistochemistry for detection of Epstein-Barr virus latent membrane protein, we analyzed 28 cases of Hodgkin lymphoma from Jordan and 30 cases from the United States. Eight of 28 Jordanian cases and 9 of 30 North American cases were Epstein-Barr virus positive. Our studies show that the incidence of Epstein-Barr virus among Jordanian patients with Hodgkin lymphoma is similar to the rate in patients from the United States. This rate appears to be low to intermediate compared with rates in other parts of the world.

Objective/Background: Lymphoma is a common human cancer that shows a variable geographic incidence worldwide. It is the fourth most common cancer in Jordan. Systemic reports of descriptive epidemiology on lymphoma from the Middle East are limited. Methods: A nationwide multi-institutional retrospective study was conducted covering all major hospitals and laboratories that provide diagnostic services. We collected data on all cases diagnosed with lymphoma between 2014 and 2019. The included variables were patients’ age, gender, anatomic site, and the histologic type according to the World Health Organization classification system. Results: A total of 4189 cases were diagnosed with lymphoma. There was a statistically significant gender difference (p < .05), as 57.5% of patients were males. The peak incidence occurred at age 25-55 years. There were 1,652 (39%) cases of Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) and 2,537 (61%) of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), where nodular sclerosis (67%) and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (53%) were the most common subtypes, respectively. The average age-adjusted incidence rates per 100,000 population were 8.01 for all lymphomas, 4.33 for NHL, and 3.16 for HL and all remained stable over the 6 years. Conclusion: HL is the most common lymphoma in Jordan, with a percentage higher than most of reported studies in Asian and Western countries. It also shows a unimodal distribution of age-specific incidence rates, with a single peak in young adults. The incidence rate of HL is higher than Eastern countries but comparable to the West. In contrast, NHL demonstrates a lower incidence rate than Western countries but a similar distribution of subtypes, as mature T/natural killer-cell lymphomas were rare.

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An indigenous case of M. ulcerans (Buruli ulcer) is reported for the first time from Jordan and the surrounding region.