Mantle cell lymphoma on the rise in the US

July 7, 2008

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - From 1992 to 2004, the incidence of mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), an aggressive form of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, increased in the United States, according to a report in the July 7th online issue of Cancer.

The findings also indicate an increased risk of the malignancy in men, Caucasians, and people 50 years of age and older.

"MCL has the poorest prognosis of all lymphomas," senior author Dr. Michael Wang and colleagues explain, "but important advances have been made in recent years. New biologic agents such as monoclonal antibodies...proteasome inhibitors...mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitors...and immunomodulatory agents...have been demonstrated to be promising clinically."

Dr. Wang, from M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, and associates examined the incidence of MCL and its related risk factors by analyzing data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Tumor registries. Among a total of 87,166 patients diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma during the 13-year study period, 2459 (2.8%) had MCL.

From 1992 to 2004, the age-adjusted incidence of the cancer rose from 0.27 to 0.69 per 100,000, according to the article. The annual percent change was 5.87% (p < 0.05).

The incidence of MCL generally rose with age, with rates ranging from 0.07 per 100,000 in subjects younger than 50 years to 2.97 in patients 70 to 79 years. The median age at diagnosis was 68 years.

The incidence of MCL was higher in men (0.84 per 100,000) than in women (0.34 per 100,000). Caucasians (0.61 per 100,000) were at greater risk than were African Americans (0.32 per 100,000).

Nearly 75% of patients had late-stage (III-IV) disease at diagnosis. Marked geographic variation was noted in MCL diagnoses, with Alaskan Natives having the lowest rates and people from Seattle having the highest.

"A better understanding of the epidemiology of MCL, the development of novel agents, more research funding, and increased public awareness are all needed to change the natural history of MCL," the research team emphasizes.