Encouraging Progression-Free Survival in HCT for Older NHL Patients

This CIBMTR (Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research) study analyzed outcomes of 1,248 patients age ≥40 years undergoing reduced-intensity or non-myeloablative hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) for aggressive (n=668) or indolent (n=580) non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). One-year relapse, acute and chronic GVHD, and non-relapse mortality (NRM) were comparable among the three age cohorts studied: 40-54 years, 55-64 years, and ≥65 years. Three-year overall survival (OS) was significantly lower in the older cohorts (54%, 40%, and 39%, respectively; p<0.0001). Age ≥55 years, HLA mismatch, and Karnofsky Performance Status <80 adversely affected NRM, progression-free survival, and OS. The authors concluded that "even for patients age ≥55 years, OS still approached 40% at 3 years, suggesting that HCT affects long-term remission and remains underused in qualified older patients with NHL."

Patient-level summary of this study