Hematologic malignancies of primary bone marrow involvement: a decade's experience in Bahrain

Amina Ismaeel; Eman Farid; Kameela S Majed; Eman Jasim Mansoor; Jalal Toorani; Faisal Tufail; Romysaa Abdulla Aldanasoury; Sara Ali Alsuwaidi; Durjoy Kumar Shome

doi:10.1016/j.htct.2022.02.002

Hematologic malignancies of primary bone marrow involvement: a decade's experience in Bahrain

Hematol Transfus Cell Ther. 2023 Jul;45 Suppl 2(Suppl 2):S68-S75. doi: 10.1016/j.htct.2022.02.002. Epub 2022 Mar 11.

Authors

Amina Ismaeel¹, Eman Farid², Kameela S Majed³, Eman Jasim Mansoor³, Jalal Toorani⁴, Faisal Tufail¹, Romysaa Abdulla Aldanasoury¹, Sara Ali Alsuwaidi¹, Durjoy Kumar Shome⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pathology, College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Arabian Gulf University, Manama, Bahrain.
² Department of Pathology, Salmaniya Medical Complex, Manama, Bahrain; Department of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Arabian Gulf University, Manama, Bahrain.
³ Department of Pathology, Salmaniya Medical Complex, Manama, Bahrain.
⁴ Department of Pathology, Blood Bank and Laboratory Medicine, King Hamad University Hospital, Bahrain.
⁵ Department of Pathology, College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Arabian Gulf University, Manama, Bahrain; Department of Pathology, Blood Bank and Laboratory Medicine, King Hamad University Hospital, Bahrain. Electronic address: durjoyks@agu.edu.bh.

Abstract

Introduction: The data on the pattern of primary hematologic malignancies in Bahrain is sparse, although previously published studies suggested rising trends in their incidence. This study aimed to compare with regional and world data and identify any changing trends.

Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional chart analysis study was done on all cases of primary hematologic malignancies of bone marrow origin of Bahraini nationals presenting during the 10-year period from January 2005 to December 2014 at the sole oncology referral center in Bahrain during the study period.

Results: In a total of 272 cases, the primary hematologic malignancies in decreasing order of frequency with respective median ages at diagnosis were: acute myeloid leukemia (AML; 26.1%, 39 years), acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL; 22.8%, 9 years), multiple myeloma (MM, 16.2%, 57 years), chronic myeloid leukemia (CML, 14%, 39.5 years), myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS; 12.5%, 56 years) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL; 5.5%, 65 years). The overall crude annual incidence rate of these malignancies was 4.8/10⁵ population. Age-specific incidence rates were found to increase dramatically with age, except for ALL, for which it peaked in the pediatric age group. The age-standardized incidence rates (ASIRs) per 10⁵ per year were 1.47 (AML), 1.13 (MM), 0.93 (ALL), 0.85 (MDS), 0.81 (CML) and 0.44 (CLL).

Conclusion: The pattern of primary hematologic malignancies in Bahrain shows unique features that distinguish it from trends reported in Eastern and Western world populations. Compared to previously published reports, ASIR trends decreased in CML and ALL but increased in MDS and MM.

Keywords: Hematologic malignancies; Incidence; Leukemia; Multiple myeloma; Myelodysplastic syndromes.