Characteristics, Incidence Trends and Survival of Nodular Sclerosis in the United States: A Population-based Cohort

Abstract

With nodular sclerosis (NS) being the most common subtype of Hodgkin Lymphoma in Western countries, we aim to investigate incidence rates and trends and survival rates of NS in the last two decades using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program. For included patients, we calculated incidence rates, annual percent change (APC) in incidence trends, and performed survival analysis through Kaplan Meier and Cox regression. Our study included 20,216 patients with NS diagnosed between 2000 and 2015, showing that NS incidence decreased over the study period. Unlike previous reports, NS was mostly diagnosed in males. Compared to white patients, black patients had a higher risk of death, which may be due to previously-reported differences in access to care according to patient-related criteria as socioeconomic status and race. This highlights the need of equal access to care, irrespective of patients’ demographic criteria, for more effective management of NS.