Abstract:
Objective To analyze the clinical characteristics and prognostic factors of patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) with bulky mass at initial diagnosis.
Methods We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 194 patients with DLBCL with bulky mass admitted to The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 2018 to September 2021. Bulky mass was defined as a maximum tumor diameter (MTD) ≥7.5 cm. The patients were assigned into three groups, the abdominopelvic, thoracic cavity, and head and neck groups, according to the location of bulky mass.
Results The median overall survival (OS) of 194 patients with DLBCL with bulky mass was 16 (range, 0–50) months, while the 1-year and 3-year OS rates were 75.6% and 66.2%, respectively. The 1-year and 3-year progression-free survival (PFS) rates were 55.9% and 44.1%, respectively. Following the first-line treatment, complete response (CR), partial response (PR), stable disease (SD), and progressive disease (PD) were achieved in 45 (23.2%), 78(40.2%), 11 (5.7%) and 60 cases (30.9%), respectively. The objective response rate (ORR) of the first-line treatment was 63.4%. Univariate analysis revealed that the prognostic factors affecting OS included age, Ann Arbor stage, β2-microglobulin (β2-MG), central invasion, radiotherapy, and bulky mass location (P<0.05). Multivariate analysis using Cox regression model revealed that age >60 years, Ann Arbor stage Ⅲ/Ⅳ, bulky mass located in the abdominopelvic and head and neck regions were independent prognostic factors (P<0.05). Patients in the abdominopelvic group had a more advanced clinical stage, more symptoms of B, an increased β2-MG level, a higher C-reactive protein level, and a higher Ki-67 value, while the thoracic cavity group had a higher proportion of young patients, a less advanced clinical stage, and more non-GCB subtypes. The 3-year OS rates of patients in the abdominopelvic, thoracic cavity, and head and neck groups were 60.4%, 84.4% and 54.2%, respectively, with statistical differences (P<0.01).
Conclusions Patients with DLBCL with bulky mass have a high tumor load, low remission rate, and high disease progression rate following the first-line treatment. Patients aged >60 years, those with an advanced clinical stage, and those with bulky mass in the abdominopelvic and head and neck regions have a poor prognosis.