Spectrum of Haematological Malignancies at University of Calabar Teaching Hospital: A Ten-Year Histopathological Review

Haematological malignancies including leukaemias, lymphomas, and myeloma represent a heterogeneous group of conditions with rising incidence in Nigerian tertiary hospitals, yet longitudinal institutional data from South South states remain sparse. This study reviews the spectrum and histopathological patterns of haematological malignancies diagnosed at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, Cross River State, over a ten-year period from 2013 to 2022. A retrospective descriptive design is applied to histopathology department records. Data include malignancy type, WHO classification subtype, patient age, sex, clinical presentation, diagnostic method, bone marrow trephine or lymph node biopsy findings, and treatment initiated. Descriptive statistics are computed using SPSS. Available haematology literature from South South Nigeria identifies diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and Burkitt lymphoma as the most common lymphoid malignancies, with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia prevalent among older adults. The WHO Classification of Tumours of Haematopoietic and Lymphoid Tissues (fifth edition) guides histological categorisation. Findings will strengthen the institution's haemato-oncology database and support capacity-building arguments for bone marrow transplantation infrastructure within the zone. Keywords: haematological malignancies, lymphoma, leukaemia, Calabar, South South Nigeria.