Tumor bulk as a prognostic factor for the management of localized aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma: a survey of the Japan Lymphoma Radiation Therapy Group

A spectrum of findings on computed tomography in paediatric abdominal and pelvic tumours in a Ghanaian teaching hospital

Objectives

To review the Computed Tomography( CT )features of pediatric oncological patients with abdominal and pelvic tumours and correlate these findings with their histopathological diagnosis.

Design

This was a retrospective cross-sectional facility-based study.

Setting

This study was conducted in the Pediatric Oncology Unit and Radiology Department of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.

Participants

Fifty-six pediatric oncology patients with contrast-enhanced abdominal and pelvic CT scans.

Data Collection

The abdominal and pelvic CT scans findings, patient biodata, and histopathology reports of oncology patients over four years were reviewed.

Statistical analysis

Simple descriptive statistics using frequency distribution, percentages, means, and standard deviation were used to describe the various variables and presented tables.

Results

The four commonest tumours were nephroblastoma, neuroblastoma, lymphoma, and hepatoblastoma. The mean age at diagnosis was 4.8 years, with a slightly higher male predominance. The majority of the tumours were extremely large at presentation. Overall, the CT - histopathology concordance was 79.2%.

Conclusion

Abdominal and pelvic CT scans play an important role in the diagnostic workup of pediatric malignancies by ensuring early and accurate diagnosis of these tumours.

Funding

None declared.

Pediatric abdominal non-Hodgkin's lymphoma: diagnosis through surgical and non-surgical procedures

OBJECTIVE

To describe the success rate and the complications after procedures to diagnose abdominal non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in children and adolescents.

METHODS

A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted with a population consisting of children and adolescents with abdominal non-Hodgkin's lymphoma diagnosed between September 1994 and December 2012. The sample comprised of 100 patients who underwent 113 diagnostic procedures, including urgent surgery (n=21), elective surgery (n=36), and non-surgical diagnosis (n=56).

RESULTS

The most frequent procedures were laparotomy (46.9%) and ultrasound-guided core biopsy (25.6%). The rate of diagnostic success was 95.2% for urgent surgeries; 100% for elective surgeries and 82.1% for non-surgical procedures (p<0.05). The rates of complication during the three diagnosis procedures considered were significant (p<0.001; 95.2% of the urgent surgeries, 83.8% of the elective surgeries, and 10.7% of the non-surgical procedures). The length of time before resuming a full diet and starting chemotherapy was significantly reduced for patients who underwent non-surgical procedures when compared with the other procedures (p<0.001).

CONCLUSION

Non-surgical procedures for the diagnosis of pediatric abdominal non-Hodgkin's lymphoma are an effective option with low morbidity rate, allowing an earlier resumption of a full diet and chemotherapy initiation. Furthermore, non-surgical procedures should also be considered for obtaining tumor samples from patients with extensive disease.

Evaluating the Predictive Ability of Initial Staging F-18 FDG PET/CT for the Prognosis of Non-Hodgkin Malignant Lymphoma Patients Who Underwent Stem Cell Transplantation

Objectives

This study aimed to determine the value of clinical prognostic factors and semiquantitative metabolic parameters from initial staging fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (F-18 FDG PET/CT) in non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) patients treated with stem cell transplantation (SCT).

Methods

A total of 39 malignant lymphoma patients who underwent initial staging F-18 FDG PET/CT were enrolled in this study. SUVmax, MTV_wb, and TLG_wb were measured during the initial staging PET/CT. Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis was adopted to dichotomize continuous variables. Log-rank test and Cox proportional hazard regression analysis were used to evaluate disease-free survival (DFS) rate.

Results

Among the 39 patients with malignant lymphoma, 17 (43.6%) had a relapse. For several clinical factors such as age, ECOG performance score, AMC/ALC score, stages, and revised International Prognostic Index score, differences between the two dichotomized groups were statistically insignificant. In univariate analysis, DFS estimates were 71.0 ± 7.8 months and 18.0 ± 5.9 months in high-SUVmax and low-SUVmax group, respectively (P < 0.01). For MTV_wb, DFS estimates were 46.6 ± 12.4 months and 69.1 ± 8.5 months in high-MTV_wb and low-MTV_wb group, respectively (P = 0.12). For TLG_wb, DFS estimates were 65.3 ± 7.5 months and 13.7 ± 8.6 months in high-TLG_wb and low-TLG_wb group, respectively (P = 0.02). In Cox proportional hazard regression analysis, only MTV_wb showed statistical significance (HR 3.01, 95% CI 1.04-8.74, P = 0.04).

Conclusion

In NHL patients treated with SCT, the MTV_wb of initial staging F-18 FDG PET/CT was an independent prognostic factor.

Elevated soluble IL-2 receptor levels correlate with tumor bulk of follicular lymphomas with intestinal involvement

OBJECTIVES

Establish a correlation between serum soluble interleukin 2 receptor (sIL-2R) levels and clinical characteristics of follicular lymphoma patients with gastrointestinal involvement.

DESIGN AND METHODS

Patients (n=44) presenting with follicular lymphoma lesions in the gastrointestinal tract were enrolled into the study and divided into 2 groups based on sIL-2R levels (normal vs. elevated). Clinical characteristics were also analyzed between groups.

RESULTS

Patients with elevated sIL-2R levels likely had systemic follicular lymphoma involvement (Ann Arbor system staging IIIES/IV or Lugano system staging II-2/IV), involvement of 5 or more nodal areas, and presentation of bulky tumors in the gastrointestinal tract. These patients also presented a high Follicular Lymphoma International Prognostic Index (FLIPI) score, suggestive of poor prognosis. No differences were found among other clinical characteristics including sex, age at lymphoma diagnosis, histological grade, LDH levels, bone marrow involvement, hemoglobin levels, and identification of tracer accumulation in gastrointestinal lesions by positron-emission tomography scanning.

CONCLUSIONS

sIL-2R levels can be used as an independent prognostic index in follicular lymphoma patients based on the correlation with the FLIPI score. Moreover, since high sIL-2R levels were associated with a large tumor bulk, sIL-2R may serve as a good indicator for monitoring disease relapse or progression.

Diffuse large B cell lymphoma of the mesentery: an unusual presentation and review of the literature

INTRODUCTION

Diffuse large B cell lymphoma is the most commonly diagnosed non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, whereas lymphoma is the most common cause of mesenteric masses. We herein present a very rare case of a young male patient with a giant diffuse large B cell lymphoma of the mesentery that was incidentally diagnosed during his admission for a road traffic accident.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

At laparotomy, a huge tumor measuring 18 x 14 x 10 cm was found originating from the jejunal mesentery. Despite the giant size of the tumor, the patient was completely asymptomatic. After complete surgical recection with clear margins, he recieved six cycles of CHOP chemotherapy in the pre-rituximab era.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

He remained disease-free 2 years after surgery, but unfortunately, he relapsed with disseminated disease and died 6 months later. Mesenteric lymphomas may remain asymptomatic until they reach a large size. The presence of a bulky mesenteric mass is a poor prognostic indicator.

CONCLUSION

Although chemotherapy is the treatment of choice for diffuse large B cell lymphoma, in some cases radical surgery has a role in establishing a definitive diagnosis.

Tumor Burden Assessed by the Maximum Standardized Uptake Value and Greatest Diameter on FDG-PET Predicts Prognosis in Untreated Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma

PURPOSE

It is uncertain whether the tumor burden as assessed using FDG-PET has prognostic significance in newly diagnosed diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). The authors undertook this study to determine whether a parameter that reflects both FDG uptake magnitude and the greatest tumor diameter is a prognostic indicator in DLBCL.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Forty-two DLBCL patients (age, 57.4 ± 15.5 years; male/female = 25/17; stage I/II/III/IV=5/17/10/10) who underwent FDG-PET before chemotherapy were enrolled. A lesion with the highest maximum standardized uptake value (MaxSUV) on the PET image was selected, and size-incorporated MaxSUV (SIMaxSUV) of mass was calculated as MaxSUV × greatest diameter (mm) on the transaxial PET image. Median follow-up duration was 20.0 months.

RESULTS

Twelve (28.6% = 12/42) patients experienced disease progression, and 10 (23.8% = 10/42) died during follow-up. Among six variables [Ann Arbor stage, %Ki-67 expression, International Prognostic Index (IPI), MaxSUV, greatest diameter, and SIMaxSUV] investigated, only SIMaxSUV was found to be a single determinant of progression-free and overall survivals by multivariate analyses (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

These results suggest that SIMaxSUV, a new FDG-PET parameter that incorporates FDG uptake magnitude and the greatest tumor diameter, may be a useful indicator of prognosis in untreated DLBCL.

Retracted: Adjuvant Radiotherapy in Stage IV Diffuse Large Cell Lymphoma Improve Outcome

The role of adjuvant radiotherapy to sites of nodal bulky disease in patients with aggressive diffuse large cell lymphoma (DLCL), and stage IV remain undefined. We began a prospective controlled clinical trial to evaluate impact in event free survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS) in a large cohort of patients with a longer follow-up. Between 1989 and 1995; 341 patients with aggressive DLCL and presence of nodal bulky disease (tumor mass > 10 cm) in pathological proven complete response after intensive chemotherapy were randomized to received either radiotherapy (involved fields, 40 Gy) or not. The 5-year EFS and OS in radiated patients were respectively: 82% (95% Confidence interval (CI): 70-89%) and 87% (95% 80-99%), that were statistically significant to control group: 55% (41-64%) (P < 0.001) and 66% (95% CI: 51-73%) (P < 0.01) respectively. Radiotherapy was well tolerated, acute toxicity was mild and until now late toxicity did not appear. The use of adjuvant radiotherapy improve EFS and OS and probably the possibility of cure in patients diffuse large cell lymphoma with worse prognostic factors. Thus, we felt that adjuvant radiotherapy will be considered as part of the initial treatment in this setting of patients.

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma of the Waldeyer's ring: clinicopathologic and therapeutic issues

Extranodal non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) in head and neck region is most commonly seen in the Waldeyer's ring. Waldeyer's ring is a unique subtype of mucosa associated lymphoid tissue (MALT), which shows rarity of low-grade or MALT-type lymphomas and a high incidence of diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL). The commonest histology is DLBCL with natural history similar to primary nodal NHL. However, high association with gastrointestinal involvement is reported. The diagnostic workup is similar to that of the usual nodal NHL, and in absence of a specific staging system, the Ann Arbor staging is followed. As compared with T-cell subtypes, B-cell phenotypes are less likely to present with mucosal ulceration, epitheliotropism and angioinvasion. Stage of disease, histology and use of combined modality treatment have been proposed as significant prognostic factors. Treatment has evolved from the use of extended field radiotherapy (RT) alone to the use of combined chemotherapy and RT leading to almost doubling of survival. Advances in pathology and further risk stratification of patients into prognostic groups could lead to the development of novel therapeutic strategies to improve outcome.

Pilot study of modified version of CHOP plus radiotherapy for early-stage aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of the head and neck

PURPOSE

To evaluate the safety and efficacy of a modified version of cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, prednisone (pirarubicin, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, and prednisone [THP-COP]) plus radiotherapy for early-stage aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of the head and neck.

METHODS AND MATERIALS

Between December 1993 and December 1999, 41 patients with early-stage non-Hodgkin's lymphoma with intermediate-grade histologic features were enrolled in our study. The mean patient age was 51 years. Of the 41 patients, 27 had Stage I and 14 Stage II disease. The primary site was Waldeyer's ring, a neck node, or an extranodal site in 14, 11, and 16 patients, respectively. The immunophenotype was B cell in 29 and T cell in 12 patients. All patients were in the low-risk category according to the International Prognostic Index. Chemotherapy consisted of 40 mg/m(2) i.v. pirarubicin (THP-Adriamycin), 750 mg/m(2) i.v. cyclophosphamide, and 1.0 mg/m(2) i.v. vincristine, on Day 1 and 40 mg/m(2) p.o. prednisone on Days 1-5. The combination chemotherapy was given twice at a 14-day interval. Radiotherapy was given to involved areas at a fraction size of 2.0-2.5 Gy up to a total of 40 Gy within 4-5 weeks. The mean follow-up period was 63 months.

RESULTS

The 5-year overall survival rate was 89%. The 5-year cause-specific survival and progression-free survival rate was 90% and 81%, respectively. The 5-year progression-free survival rate for patients with Waldeyer's ring primaries was 93%. Patients with tumor <5 cm in size had greater 5-year progression-free survival than those with tumor >5 cm in size (85% vs. 33%, p <0.05, log-rank test). Grade 4 neutropenia was seen in 12% of patients; however, 93% of patients (38 of 41) received chemotherapy as scheduled with the support of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor.

CONCLUSION

Biweekly THP-COP plus radiotherapy is feasible and effective for Stage I-II low-risk non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Long-term follow-up of patients treated with radiotherapy alone for early-stage histologically aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma

Historically localised aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) has been treated with involved field radiotherapy (RT), chemotherapy, or a combination of both modalities. The current weight of evidence supports a preference for combined modality treatment (CMT). Increased patient age at diagnosis is well recognised as a poor prognostic indicator in NHL, but despite this some perceive CMT as too toxic for use in the elderly. As a result, some older patients continue to be offered RT alone. Here, we present long-term follow-up of 377 adults of all ages treated with RT alone for early-stage diffuse large-cell lymphoma on British National Lymphoma Investigation trials between 1974 and 1997. 10-year cause-specific survival in patients older than 60 years was poor and significantly inferior to that in younger patients (47 and 75% respectively; P<0.001). There is growing evidence that short-course chemotherapy, with or without RT, is superior to RT alone in early-stage aggressive NHL, in elderly as well as in younger patients. Increased age alone should not exclude patients from systemic treatment for early-stage aggressive NHL.

Clinical analysis of extranodal non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in the sinonasal tract

We investigated the clinical analysis of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) of the sinonasal tract, including the survival rate and treatment outcome. Fifty patients who had previously received a diagnosis of extranodal NHL of the sinonasal cavity from May 1992 to April 2001 were included. We reviewed the patients' clinical characteristics and the survival rates, retrospectively. Of 50 patients, 49 were classified as having extranodal NK/T cell lymphoma and only one patient as having diffuse large B cell (DLBC) lymphoma according to the new WHO classification. Even though higher mortality rates were observed in patients receiving chemotherapy alone than in those receiving chemotherapy and radiation therapy in the advanced stage, the combination treatment of chemotherapy and radiation therapy failed to demonstrate a significantly higher survival rate.

Radiotherapy versus combined therapy in early stages with bulky disease aggressive malignant lymphoma

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the use of radiotherapy compared with combined therapy (radiotherapy followed by chemotherapy) in early stages (I and II) in patients with diffuse large cell lymphoma and bulky disease. One hundred and thirty patients were randomly assigned to receive either radiotherapy involved field doses range from 40 to 48 Gy (median 44.5 Gy) or the same radiation therapy following chemotherapy (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisone, by six cycles. Complete response (CR) was achieved in 58 out of 61 patients (95%) of the patients whose received radiotherapy, that was no different to 91% (63 out of 69 patients) in the combined therapy arm. However, at 10-years event-free survival (EFS) was 68% (95% confidence interval (CI): 61-73%) in the radiotherapy arm that was statistical different to 90% (95% CI: 86-94%) in the combined therapy group (p < 0.01). Overall survival (OS) showed statistical differences: 72% (95% CI 67-76%) in the radiotherapy group compared to 89% (95% CI: 84-93%) in the combined therapy arm (p < 0.01). Toxicity was mild in both groups, at this time, no second neoplasm or acute leukemia has been observed. We conclude that combined therapy appear to be superior in patients with early stages and bulky disease in patients with aggressive malignant lymphoma.

Prognostic factors in localized aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma

To identify the prognostic factors that specifically predict survival rates of patients with localized aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), a retrospective study including 118 patients with clinical stage I and II NHL treated at the Institute of oncology, Istanbul University between 1989 and 1998 was conducted. Patients were treated either with radiotherapy alone, radiotherapy and adjuvant chemotherapy, or chemotherapy (with or without adjuvant radiotherapy). The 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival rates were calculated, and univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify the significance of various prognostic factors such as gender, age, performance status, stage (I versus II), B symptoms, extranodal involvement, gastrointestinal tract disease, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, bulky disease, histologic grade, serum lactate dehydrogenase level, serum beta2-microglobulin level, serum albumin level, treatment regimen, remission status, and the International Prognostic Index risk groups, which may have an influence on the outcome of patients with NHL. The overall 5-year survival rate was 52% with a median follow-up of 30 months. The complete response rate was 68%, and the 5-year DFS of complete responders was 70%. Cox multivariate regression analysis showed that incomplete response, low serum albumin, bulky disease (>10 cm), and high grade histology were the pretreatment factors associated with shorter survival. When remission status was included in the model, the attainment of a complete response was the major determinant of long-term survival; however, low albumin level was still a significant adverse predictor for survival in multivariate analysis. These factors need to be evaluated for analyzing the outcome of treatment and to identify better therapeutic strategies.

Stage I and II aggressive B-cell lymphomas of the head and neck: radiotherapy alone as a treatment option and the usefulness of the new prognostic index B-ALPS

PURPOSE

To evaluate the outcome according to treatment modality and prognostic factors in clinical Stage I and II intermediate- or high-grade B-cell lymphomas of the head and neck.

METHODS AND MATERIALS

We analyzed 155 patients treated between 1983 and 1997, excluding those with the Working Formulation low-grade lymphomas. Of these patients, 88 had Stage I and 67 had Stage II disease. Forty-one patients were treated with radiotherapy (RT) alone, and 114 patients were treated with a combination of RT and chemotherapy. Most of the chemotherapy regimens included anthracycline derivatives. More patients with Stage I disease and more patients with poor performance status were treated with RT alone. The treatment results were evaluated according to the new prognostic index B-ALPS, consisting of tumor bulk, age, lactate dehydrogenase level, performance status, and stage.

RESULTS

The 5-year overall and failure-free survival rate was 71.5% and 68.3%, respectively, for all 155 patients. The 5-year survival rate was 67% for those treated with RT alone and 73% for those treated with radiochemotherapy (p = 0.13). Among the various potential prognostic factors, age >60 years, World Health Organization performance status 2-4, and tumor size >or=6 cm were associated with poorer survival. The 5-year survival rate was 82% for those with no or one B-ALPS factor, 66% for those with two factors, and 49% for those with three or more factors (p <0.0001). The B-ALPS index appeared to predict the prognosis of these patients better than did the International Prognostic Index. No single prognostic factor was useful to identify patient groups more suitable to treatment with RT alone, but in patients with two B-ALPS risk factors, those treated with radiochemotherapy had a better survival rate and tended to have a better failure-free survival rate than those treated with RT alone.

CONCLUSION

A proportion of patients with clinical Stage I or II head-and-neck B-cell lymphoma may be successfully treated with RT alone. B-ALPS is a useful prognostic index in this disease.

Single institute experience of chemotherapy and adjuvant radiotherapy for localized aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma: retrospective analysis of the clinical efficacy of radiation therapy

We retrospectively analyzed the clinical outcome of localized aggressive lymphoma treated with chemotherapy and adjuvant radiotherapy. Between 1982 and 1998, 77 patients who were diagnosed as having aggressive lymphoma stage I-II were treated with chemotherapy followed by radiation therapy. The median radiation dose was 44.4 Gy (range, 30-64 Gy). Some patients who achieved complete response after chemotherapy received limited-field radiation to reduce toxicity. Several prognostic factors were analyzed in the overall (OAS) and relapse-free survival (RFS) by both uni- and multivariate analysis. The 5-year rates of OAS and RFS were 74.6% and 70.8%, respectively. Patient age (p = 0.016), radiation dose (p = 0.043), and prognostic score proposed by the Japan Lymphoma Radiation Therapy Group (JLRTG; p = 0.0073) were significant predictive factors for OAS. As for RFS, predictive factors were patient age (p = 0.042), elevated level of serum lactic dehydrogenase (p = 0.046), and JLRTG score (p = 0.05). At the multivariate level, only patient age greater than 60 years was a significantly adverse variable for both OAS (p = 0.0079) and RFS (p = 0.0198). Our treatment strategy was thought to be acceptable with satisfactory outcomes. Limited-field radiation may have possible advantages in toxicity if it does not lead to worsening of the outcome, although a conclusive result could not be obtained by the current analysis.

Localized aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of the nasal cavity: a survey by the Japan Lymphoma Radiation Therapy Group

PURPOSE

To clarify the role of radiotherapy and chemotherapy in the treatment of patients with localized aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (NHL) originating in the nasal cavity.

METHODS AND MATERIALS

The survey, administered at 25 Japanese institutes in 1998, enabled us to collect the clinical data for 787 patients with localized aggressive NHL who were treated between 1988 and 1992.

RESULTS

There were 42 patients (5%) with nasal lymphomas. Twelve of these patients received radiotherapy alone, and 30 were treated with a combination of radiotherapy and chemotherapy. The median radiation dose was 47 Gy (22-66). Twelve patients were reviewed histopathologically according to REAL (Revised European-American Classification of Lymphoid neoplasms) classification. T-cell or natural killer (NK) cell lymphomas were detected in 9 patients (75%), and diffuse large B-cell lymphomas in 3 (25%). The 5-year overall and disease-free survival (DFS) rates of all patients were 57% and 59%, respectively. The 5-year DFS rate for the 30 patients treated with the combined therapy was 64% and that for the 12 patients treated with radiotherapy alone was 46% (p = 0.021). For the 34 patients with stage-modified International Prognostic Index (m-IPI) 0-1, the 5-year DFS rates of those treated with the combined therapy and radiotherapy alone were 68% and 45%, respectively (p = 0.020), but there was no difference in DFS rate among the two groups of patients with m-IPI 2-3. The 5-year local control rates of the patients who received >46 Gy (n = 22) and < or =46 Gy (n = 20) were 95% and 76% (p = 0.087), respectively. There was no significant difference among the 5-year DFS rates (62% vs. 67%) and local control rates (87% vs. 100%) of the patients with T-cell or NK-cell lymphoma and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with nasal lymphomas (m-IPI 0-1) should be treated with combined therapy. For the patients with high risk (m-IPI 2-3), the effectiveness of combined therapy was not clarified because of the small number of the patients. A high radiation dose >46 Gy may need to be used to achieve good local control.

Diffuse large cell lymphoma

A review of new or emerging ideas concerning diffuse large B-cell lymphomas is presented, with particular emphasis on histologic classification, genetic prognostic factors, first-line and salvage treatments, and specific locations such as neurologic, cutaneous, or gastrointestinal sites. This lymphoma remains the most heterogeneous of all lymphomas for its clinical characteristics and outcome. This heterogeneity is probably secondary to the fact that a large proportion of lymphomas seems to occur from a transformation of an unknown indolent lymphoma.