Role of anthracycline and comprehensive geriatric assessment for elderly patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Blood. 2017;130:2180-2185. [PMID: 28814386 DOI: 10.1182/blood-2017-05-736975]

Challenges identifying DLBCL patients with poor outcomes to upfront chemoimmunotherapy and its impact on frontline clinical trials

Diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) has a variable course of disease among patients as it consists of subgroups that are clinically, biologically and molecularly heterogeneous. In this review, we will discuss how this heterogeneity has likely hindered the ability of traditional prognostic models to identify DLBCL patients at high risk of having poor outcomes with conventional upfront chemoimmunotherapy. We will highlight the challenges and downsides of using these models for risk stratification in clinical trials. Also, we present some of the novel prognosticators that have shown a prognostic value independently or when incorporated into existing prognostic models. Additionally, since the failure of frontline clinical trials to improve outcomes beyond R-CHOP chemoimmunotherapy may be at least partially explained by the restrictive eligibility criteria, risk stratification methods and the selection bias encountered due to the complexed logistics of clinical trials; we will discuss strategies to refine and modernize clinical trial design.

Impact of Preexisting Heart Failure on Treatment and Outcomes in Older Patients With Hodgkin Lymphoma

Background

Older patients with Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) often have comorbid cardiovascular disease; however, the impact of pre-existing heart failure (HF) on the management and outcomes of HL is unknown.

Objectives

The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of pre-existing HF in older patients with HL and its impact on treatment and outcomes.

Methods

Linked Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) and Medicare data from 1999 to 2016 were used to identify patients 65 years and older with newly diagnosed HL. Pre-existing HF, comorbidities, and cancer treatment were ascertained from billing codes and cause-specific mortality from SEER. The associations between pre-existing HF and cancer treatment were estimated using multivariable logistic regression. Cause-specific Cox proportional hazards models adjusted for comorbidities and cancer treatment were used to estimate the association between pre-existing HF and cause-specific mortality.

Results

Among 3,348 patients (mean age 76 ± 7 years, 48.6% women) with newly diagnosed HL, pre-existing HF was present in 437 (13.1%). Pre-existing HF was associated with a lower likelihood of using anthracycline-based chemotherapy regimens (OR: 0.42; 95% CI: 0.29-0.60) and a higher likelihood of lymphoma mortality (HR: 1.25; 95% CI: 1.06-1.46) and cardiovascular mortality (HR: 2.57; 95% CI: 1.96-3.36) in models adjusted for comorbidities. One-year lymphoma mortality cumulative incidence was 37.4% (95% CI: 35.5%-39.5%) with pre-existing HF and 26.3% (95% CI: 25.0%-27.6%) without pre-existing HF. The cardioprotective medications dexrazoxane and liposomal doxorubicin were used in only 4.2% of patients.

Conclusions

Pre-existing HF in older patients with newly diagnosed HL is common and associated with higher 1-year mortality. Strategies are needed to improve lymphoma and cardiovascular outcomes in this high-risk population.

Hodgkin lymphoma treatment for older persons in the modern era

There has been a renewed effort globally in the study of older Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) patients, generating a multitude of new data. For prognostication, advancing age, comorbidities, altered functional status, Hispanic ethnicity, and lack of dose intensity (especially without anthracycline) portend inferior survival. Geriatric assessments (GA), including activities of daily living (ADL) and comorbidities, should be objectively measured in all patients. In addition, proactive multidisciplinary medical management is recommended (eg, geriatrics, cardiology, primary care), and pre-phase therapy should be considered for most patients. Treatment for fit older HL patients should be given with curative intent, including anthracyclines, and bleomycin should be minimized (or avoided). Brentuximab vedotin given sequentially before and after doxorubicin, vinblastine, dacarbazine (AVD) chemotherapy for untreated patients is tolerable and effective, and frontline checkpoint inhibitor/AVD platforms are rapidly emerging. Therapy for patients who are unfit or frail, whether due to comorbidities and/or ADL loss, is less clear and should be individualized with consideration of attenuated anthracycline-based therapy versus lower-intensity regimens with inclusion of brentuximab vedotin +/- checkpoint inhibitors. For all patients, there should be clinical vigilance with close monitoring for treatment-related toxicities, including neurotoxicity, cardiopulmonary, and infectious complications. Finally, active surveillance for "postacute" complications 1 to 10 years post therapy, especially cardiac disease, is needed for cured patients. Altogether, therapy for older HL patients should include anthracycline-based therapy in most cases, and novel targeted agents should continue to be integrated into treatment paradigms, with more research needed on how best to utilize GAs for treatment decisions.

Lenalidomide plus rituximab for the initial treatment of frail older patients with DLBCL: the FIL_ReRi phase 2 study

Treatment of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) in older patients is challenging, especially for those who are not eligible for anthracycline-containing regimens. Fondazione Italiana Linfomi (FIL) started the FIL_ReRi study, a 2-stage single-arm trial to investigate the activity and safety of the chemo-free combination of rituximab and lenalidomide (R2) in ≥70-year-old untreated frail patients with DLBCL. Frailty was prospectively defined using a simplified geriatric assessment tool. Patients were administered a maximum of 6 28-day cycles of 20 mg oral lenalidomide from days 2 to 22 and IV rituximab 375 mg/m2 on day 1, with response assessment after cycles 4 and 6. Patients with partial response or complete response (CR) at cycle 6 were administered lenalidomide 10 mg/d from days 1 to 21 for every 28 cycles for a total of 12 cycles or until progression or unacceptable toxicity. The primary end point was the overall response rate (ORR) after cycle 6; the coprimary end point was the rate of grade 3 or 4 extrahematological toxicity. The ORR was 50.8%, with 27.7% CR. After a median follow-up of 24 months, the median progression-free survival was 14 months, and the 2-year duration of response was 64%. Thirty-four patients experienced extrahematological toxicity according to the National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events grade ≥3. The activity of the R2 combination was observed in a significant proportion of subjects, warranting further exploration of a chemo-free approach in frail older patients with DLBCL. This trial was registered at EudraCT as #2015-003371-29 and clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT02955823.

The Geriatric Prognostic Index: a clinical prediction model for survival of older diffuse large B-cell lymphoma patients treated with standard immunochemotherapy

The International prognostic Index (IPI) is the most widely used clinical prediction model for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) patients treated with rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisone (R-CHOP), but may be suboptimal in older patients. We aimed to develop and externally validate a clinical prediction model for older, RCHOP- treated DLBCL patients by examining geriatric assessment and lymphoma-related parameters in real-world cohorts. A population-based training set of 365 R-CHOP-treated DLBCL patients ≥70 years was identified through the Cancer Registry of Norway. The external test set consisted of a population-based cohort of 193 patients. Data on candidate predictors were retrieved from the Cancer Registry and through review of clinical records. Cox regression models for 2-year overall survival were used for model selection. Activities of daily living, the Charlson Comorbidity Index, age, sex, albumin, stage, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status and lactate dehydrogenase level were identified as independent predictors and combined into a Geriatric Prognostic Index (GPI). The GPI demonstrated good discrimination (optimismcorrected C-index 0.752), and identified low-, intermediate- and high-risk groups with significantly different survivals (2- year overall survival, 94%, 65%, and 25%, respectively). At external validation, the continuous and grouped GPI demonstrated good discrimination (C-index 0.727 and 0.710, respectively) and the GPI groups had significantly different survivals (2-year overall survival 95%, 65%, and 44%, respectively). Both the continuous and grouped GPI showed better discrimination than the IPI, revised-IPI and National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN)-IPI (C-index 0.621, 0.583, and 0.670, respectively). In conclusion, we have developed and externally validated a GPI for older DLBCL patients treated with R-CHOP that outperformed the IPI, revised-IPI and NCCN-IPI. A web-based calculator is available at https://wide.shinyapps. io/GPIcalculator/.

Reduced-Intensity Anthracycline-Free Chemoimmunotherapy in Elderly Patients With Newly Diagnosed or Relapsed Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is the most common type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL); it has a cure rate of approximately 50% with standard anthracycline-based chemoimmunotherapy. However, the clinical outcomes of elderly unfit/frail DLBCL patients remain suboptimal due to poor tolerance of anthracycline-containing regimens. Herein, we report a series of seven elderly unfit patients with DLBCL who were treated with a reduced-intensity anthracycline-free chemoimmunotherapy (rituximab, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, and prednisone) regimen combined with lenalidomide (R2-COP). Five patients received R2-COP as first-line therapy, and two patients were treated for relapsed DLBCL. Four patients with newly diagnosed DLBCL and two with relapsed disease achieved complete remission. The R2-COP regimen was well tolerated. Interim positron emission tomography (PET) scans in four patients after two to three cycles showed a complete metabolic response. At a median follow-up of 24 months, six patients remain in complete remission. R2-COP is an effective anthracycline-free regimen with encouraging clinical activity in elderly DLBCL patients who are unfit for standard anthracycline-containing regimens.

Utility of the frailty score for predicting prognosis and individualizing treatment intensity in elderly patients with diffuse large B cell lymphoma

The optimal dose intensity of chemotherapy for elderly patients with diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) remains controversial because of concerns about adverse events and comorbidities related to the patients' frailty. This single-center study retrospectively analyzed patients aged ≥ 70 years who were newly diagnosed with DLBCL and received chemotherapy between 2004 and 2022. Survival outcomes and treatment-related mortality (TRM) were stratified according to geriatric assessment variables, and the influence of chemotherapy dose intensity on outcomes was assessed using the frailty score with a Cox hazards model with restricted cubic spline (RCS) in patients aged 70-79 years. In total, 337 patients were included. The frailty score accurately predicted prognosis (5-year overall survival [OS]: 73.1%, 60.2%, and 29.7% in fit, unfit, and frail patients, respectively; P < 0.001) and TRM (5-year TRM: 0%, 5.4%, and 16.8 in fit, unfit, and frail patients, respectively; P < 0.001). Cox regression with RCS demonstrated a linear association between dose intensity and survival outcomes. Initial dose intensity (IDI) and relative dose intensity (RDI) had a significant impact on OS in fit patients. However, IDI and RDI had no significant effect on survival in non-fit (unfit and frail) patients. The frailty score identified non-fit patients with poorer survival and a higher risk of TRM. While fit patients were likely to benefit from full-dose R-CHOP, unfit and frail patients would likely benefit more from attenuated R-CHOP. This study suggested a potential role for the frailty score in individualizing treatment intensity in elderly patients with DLBCL.

Clinical outcomes after incomplete cycles of R-CHOP for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma: 10 years' real-world experience in a single institute

Although the current standard of care for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is six cycles of rituximab/cyclophosphamide/doxorubicin/vincristine/prednisolone combination chemotherapy (R-CHOP), a larger than expected number of patients cannot complete planned six cycles for various reasons in the real world. We aimed to evaluate the prognosis of patients with DLBCL after incomplete treatment by analyzing the chemotherapy response and survival according to the cause of discontinuation and the number of cycles. We analyzed a retrospective cohort of patients diagnosed with DLBCL who underwent incomplete cycles of R-CHOP at Seoul National University Hospital and Boramae Medical Center from January 2010 to April 2019. A total of 1183 patients were diagnosed with DLBCL, of which 260 (22%) did not complete six cycles of R-CHOP. The most common cause of discontinuation of chemotherapy was life-threatening infection, and the most common pathogen was Pneumocystis jirovecii. Overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were significantly better in patients who achieved complete response (CR) or partial response (PR) at the first response evaluation. Patients underwent three or more cycles of chemotherapy had a longer OS than those who did not. In patients with limited-stage disease, consolidative radiotherapy showed a significant improvement in OS and PFS. Advanced stage, high comorbidity score, and poor primary response to chemotherapy were poor prognostic factors in patients with unplanned treatment shortening. This study provides real-world outcomes for patients who could not complete the planned six cycles of R-CHOP.

Pretreatment frailty is an independent prognostic factor among elderly patients with B-cell lymphoma undergoing immunochemotherapy: A prospective observational cohort study in Taiwan

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE

Frailty is a common clinical syndrome among the elderly; however, it is frequently neglected in patients with hematological malignancies, especially among the Asian population. This study is aimed to evaluate the prevalence and effect of frailty on survival outcomes in elderly Asian patients with B-cell lymphoma.

METHODS

We prospectively enrolled 76 consecutive patients with age ≥ 65 years and newly diagnosed B-cell lymphoma and were receiving immunochemotherapy in a medical center in Taiwan between August 2016 and December 2017. The frailty of all patients was assessed using a comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) within 7 days before immunochemotherapy.

RESULTS

Twenty-seven patients (36%) were allocated to the frail group based on CGA. With a median follow-up duration of 26.5 (range, 1.7-39.8) months, the 1- and 2-year survival rates were 68% and 58%, respectively, for all group of patients. In patients in the non-frail group, the 1-year and 2-year survival rates were 81% and 71%, respectively, compared to 44% and 33%, respectively, in the frail group (hazard ratio [HR], 3.57, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.74-7.30; p = 0.001). Age ≥ 75years (adjusted HR 2.57, 95% CI 1.02-6.47, p = 0.045), presence of B-symptoms (adjusted HR 2.43, 95% CI 1.05-5.60, p = 0.038), and frailty (adjusted HR 3.03, 95% CI 1.29-7.11, p = 0.011) were independent prognostic factors in the multivariate analysis.

CONCLUSION

Frailty significantly influenced the survival outcome as an independent prognostic factor in elderly patients with B-cell lymphoma undergoing immunochemotherapy. Pretreatment frailty assessment is critical to assist clinicians and patients with B-cell lymphoma with prognosis prediction and counseling on an appropriate treatment goal.

A Multicenter Study of 239 Patients Aged Over 70 Years With Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma in China

Background: Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is the most common aggressive lymphoma subtype worldwide and occurs frequently in the elderly population. However, there are limited data on the clinical profiles of patients with DLBCL over 70 years of age. Our objective was to summarize the clinical characteristics, treatment strategies and survival outcomes of this population in China.

Methods: This multicenter retrospective study was conducted in China from January 2012 to July 2020 to investigate the clinical characteristics and survival outcomes. A total of 239 patients with DLBCL aged over 70 years underwent pretreatment evaluations, treatment, and follow-up at local hospitals. The primary endpoints were the progression-free survival (PFS) and the overall survival (OS) rates at 2 years. Secondary endpoints included median PFS and OS, the estimated PFS and OS rates at 5 years, and adverse events during treatment.

Results: With a median follow-up of 50 months (range, 1–102 months), the 2-year PFS and OS rates were 53.0% and 65.5%, respectively. The median PFS and OS were 42.1 and 96.4 months, respectively; and the estimated 5-year PFS and OS rates were 44.7% and 56.1%, respectively. Hematological toxicities were the most common adverse effects in this study, accounting for 90.4%; and leukopenia was the most frequently observed ≥ grade 3 event. Furthermore, we found that regimens without rituximab and chemotherapy cycles < 6 were significantly associated with worse survival. Additionally, in the 70–80-year group, reduction in chemotherapy dose was associated with a significantly shorter OS, with a 2-year OS rate of 74.4% in the full dose group, compared to 67.1% for the decreased-dose group (p = 0.044).

Conclusion: Our study presents the clinical profiles and survival outcomes of elderly patients with DLBCL in China. Treatment of these patients requires careful evaluation of toxicities and benefits. To this end, a prognosis model, such as comprehensive geriatric assessment, is required in clinical practice to optimally manage elderly patients with DLBCL.

Cardiovascular diseases among diffuse large B-cell lymphoma long-term survivors in Asia: a multistate model study

BACKGROUND

We modeled the clinical course of a cohort of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) patients with no prior cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) using a multistate modeling framework.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Data on 2600 patients with DLBCL diagnosed between 2000 and 2018 and had received chemotherapy with or without radiotherapy were obtained from a population-wide electronic health database of Hong Kong. We used the Markov illness-death model to quantify the impact of doxorubicin and various risk factors (therapeutic exposure, demographic, comorbidities, cardiovascular risk factors, and lifestyle factors which included smoking) on the clinical course of DLBCL (transitions into incident CVD, lymphoma death, and other causes of death).

RESULTS

A total of 613 (23.6%) and 230 (8.8%) of 2600 subjects died of lymphoma and developed incident CVD, respectively. Median follow-up was 7.0 years (interquartile range 3.8-10.8 years). Older ages [hazard ratio (HR) for >75 versus ≤60 years 1.88; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.25-2.82 and HR for 61-75 versus ≤60 years 1.60; 95% CI 1.12-2.30], hypertension (HR 4.92; 95% CI 2.61-9.26), diabetes (HR 1.43; 95% CI 1.09-1.87), and baseline use of aspirin (HR 5.30; 95% CI 3.93-7.16) were associated with an increased risk of incident CVD. In a subgroup of anticipated higher-risk patients (aged 61-75 years, smoked, had diabetes, and received doxorubicin), we found that they remained on average 7.9 (95% CI 7.2-8.8) years in the DLBCL state and 0.1 (95% CI 0.0-0.4) years in the CVD state, if they could be followed up for 10 years. The brief time in the CVD state is consistent with the high chance of death in patients who developed CVD. Other causes of death have overtaken DLBCL-related death after about 5 years.

CONCLUSIONS

In this Asian population-based cohort, we found that incident CVDs can occur soon after DLBCL treatment and continued to occur throughout survivorship. Clinicians are advised to balance the risks and benefits of treatment choices to minimize the risk of CVD.

A simplified frailty score predicts survival and can aid treatment-intensity decisions in older patients with DLBCL

A simplified frailty score predicts survival and toxicity in older patients with DLBCL and can inform treatment-intensity decisions.

Full-dose R-CHOP is not superior to R-miniCHOP in older unfit DLBCL patients, whereas older fit patients likely benefit from full-dose R-CHOP.

Patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) have a median age of 70 years. Yet, empirical knowledge about the treatment of older patients is limited because they are frequently excluded from clinical trials. We aimed to construct a simplified frailty score and examine survival and treatment-related mortality (TRM) according to frailty status and treatment intensity in an older real-world population with DLBCL. All patients aged ≥70 years diagnosed with DLBCL between 2006 and 2016 in southeastern Norway (N = 784) were included retrospectively and divided into training (n = 522) and validation (n = 262) cohorts. We constructed and validated a frailty score based on geriatric assessment variables and examined survival and TRM according to frailty status and treatment. The frailty score identified 3 frailty groups with distinct survival and TRM, independent of established prognostic factors (2-year overall survival [OS]: fit, 82%; unfit, 47%; frail, 14%; P < .001). For fit patients, full-dose R-CHOP (initial dosage >80%) was associated with better survival than attenuated R-CHOP ([R-miniCHOP]; 2-year OS: 86% vs 70%; P = .012), also in adjusted analyses. For unfit and frail patients, full-dose R-CHOP was not superior to R-miniCHOP, whereas an anthracycline-free regimen was associated with poorer survival in adjusted analyses. A simplified frailty score identified unfit and frail patients with a higher risk for death and TRM, which can aid treatment-intensity decisions in older patients with DLBCL. In this study, fit patients benefited from full-dose R-CHOP, whereas unfit and frail patients had no benefit from full-dose R-CHOP over R-miniCHOP. An online calculator for assessment of the frailty score is available at https://wide.shinyapps.io/app-frailty/.

The beneficial effect of Escalated-R-CHOP-21 for the treatment of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma in elderly male patients: A propensity-matched cohort study

PURPOSE

Some studies have indicated that using 500 mg/m² rituximab combined with CHOP-14 may be beneficial for elderly men but not women with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential benefit of escalated doses of rituximab with CHOP-21 as the first-line treatment in male patients with DLBCL.

METHODS

We performed a retrospective cohort study to analyze the survival benefit of rituximab 500 mg/m² plus the CHOP-21 regimen (Escalated-R-CHOP-21) as the first-line treatment compared with using rituximab 375 mg/m² plus the CHOP-21 regimen (Standard-R-CHOP-21) in men with DLBCL. We used propensity score matching to maximize the balance of the observed covariables. The primary endpoints of this study were the progression-free survival (PFS) rate and overall survival (OS) rate at 3 years.

RESULTS

After a median follow-up of 47 months (IQR 31-65), no significant difference in PFS and OS was found for men treated with Escalated-R-CHOP-21 compared with Standard-R-CHOP-21 [3-year PFS: 69.7% versus 71.9%, p = 0.867; 3-year OS: 83.0% versus 82.4%, p = 0.660]. After 1:1 propensity score matching, we found that the patients using Escalated-R-CHOP-21 had statistically significant survival benefits relative to Standard-R-CHOP-21 among the 96 matched elderly male patients for 3-year PFS [75.5% (95% CI 62.8-88.2) versus 58.2% (95% CI 44.3-72.1); p = 0.019] and 3-year OS [86.6% (95% CI 76.4-96.8) versus 65.8% (95% CI 52.1-79.5); p = 0.017]. However, no differences in survival were observed for younger male patients. Furthermore, the dose effect in PFS of Escalated-R-CHOP-21 was more obvious for elderly male patients with no high-risk extranodal sites (p = 0.005 and interaction p = 0.030).

CONCLUSION

Escalated-R-CHOP-21 could be a safe and effective option for treating elderly male patients with DLBCL. This study provides new insight into optimizing the standard treatment regimen, which may have important therapeutic implications in elderly male patients with DLBCL.

Multicenter analysis of geriatric fitness and real-world outcomes in older patients with classical Hodgkin lymphoma

We performed a multicenter retrospective analysis across 10 US academic medical centers to evaluate treatment patterns and outcomes in patients age ≥60 years with classic Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) from 2010-2018. Among 244 eligible patients, median age was 68, 63% had advanced stage (III/IV), 96% had Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (PS) 0-2, and 12% had documented loss of ≥1 activity of daily living (ADL). Medical comorbidities were assessed by the Cumulative Illness Rating Scale-Geriatric (CIRS-G), where n = 44 (18%) had total scores ≥10. Using multivariable Cox models, only ADL loss predicted shorter progression-free (PFS; hazard ratio [HR] 2.13, P = .007) and overall survival (OS; HR 2.52, P = .02). Most patients (n = 203, 83%) received conventional chemotherapy regimens, including doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine (ABVD; 56%), AVD (14%), and AVD with brentuximab vedotin (BV; 9%). Compared to alternative therapies, conventional regimens significantly improved PFS (HR 0.46, P = .0007) and OS (HR 0.31, P = .0003). Survival was similar following conventional chemotherapy in those ages 60-69 vs ≥70: PFS HR 0.88, P = .63; OS HR 0.73, P = .55. Early treatment discontinuation due to toxicity was more common with CIRS-G ≥10 (28% vs 12%, P = .016) or documented geriatric syndrome (28% vs 13%, P = .02). A competing risk analysis demonstrated improved disease-related survival with conventional therapy (HR 0.29, P = .02) and higher mortality from causes other than disease or treatment with high CIRS-G or geriatric syndromes. This study suggests conventional chemotherapy regimens remain a standard of care in fit older patients with cHL, and highlights the importance of geriatric assessments in defining fitness for cHL therapy going forward.

Cancer Therapy-Related Cardiovascular Complications in Clinical Practice: Current Perspectives

Cardiovascular (CV) diseases and cancer are the leading causes of death in Europe and the United States. Both diseases have extensive overlap and share common risk factors, symptoms, and outcomes. As the number of patients with both cancer and CV diseases continues to rise, the field of cardio-oncology is gaining increased attention. A frequent problem during anti-cancer treatment is cardiotoxicity caused by the side-effects of chemo-, immuno-, targeted, and radiation therapies. This problem may manifest as acute coronary syndrome, myocarditis, arrhythmias, or heart failure. Modern cardio-oncology spans many different research areas. While some researchers focus on treating patients that have already developed cardiotoxicity, others aim to identify new methods for preventing cardiotoxicity before, during, and after anti-cancer therapy. Both groups share the common understanding that regular monitoring of cancer patients is the basis for optimal medical treatment. Optimal treatment can only be achieved through close cooperation between cardiologists and oncologists. This review summarizes the current views on cardio-oncology and discusses the cardiotoxicities associated with commonly used chemotherapeutics.

Simplified Geriatric Assessment in Older Patients With Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma: The Prospective Elderly Project of the Fondazione Italiana Linfomi

PURPOSE

To prospectively validate the use of a simplified geriatric assessment (sGA) at diagnosis and to integrate it into a prognostic score for older patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL).

METHODS

We conducted the prospective Elderly Project study on patients with DLBCL older than 64 years who underwent our Fondazione Italiana Linfomi original geriatric assessment (oGA) (age, Cumulative Illness Rating Scale for Geriatrics, activities of daily living, and instrumental activities of daily living) before treatment. Treatment choice was left to the physician's discretion. The primary end point was overall survival (OS) (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02364050).

RESULTS

We analyzed 1,163 patients (median age 76 years), with a 3-year OS of 65% (95% CI, 62 to 68). Because at multivariate analysis on oGA, age > 80 years retained an independent correlation with OS, we also developed a new, simplified version of the GA (sGA) that classifies patients as fit (55%), unfit (28%), and frail (18%) with significantly different 3-year OS of 75%, 58%, and 43%, respectively. The sGA groups, International Prognostic Index, and hemoglobin levels were independent predictors of OS and were used to build the Elderly Prognostic Index (EPI). Three risk groups were identified: low (23%), intermediate (48%), and high (29%), with an estimated 3-year OS of 87% (95% CI, 81 to 91), 69% (95% CI, 63 to 73), and 42% (95% CI, 36 to 49), respectively. The EPI was validated using an independent external series of 328 cases.

CONCLUSION

The Elderly Project validates sGA as an objective tool to assess fitness status and defines the new EPI to predict OS of older patients with DLBCL.

Utility of the Geriatric 8 for the Prediction of Therapy-Related Toxicity in Older Adults with Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma

BACKGROUND

The management of severe adverse events (AEs) is important in safely and effectively providing chemotherapy to older adults with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). However, reports on simple and DLBCL-specific predictive models for treatment-related toxicity in elderly individuals are scarce. The aim of this study was to examine the usefulness of Geriatric 8 (G8) in predicting treatment-related severe AEs, nonhematological toxicity, and febrile neutropenia in older adults with DLBCL in real-world practice.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We conducted a multicenter, retrospective study on 398 consecutive patients with DLBCL (aged ≥65 years) who received standard therapy at three centers in Japan (University of Fukui Hospital, the Fukui Prefectural Hospital, and the Japanese Red Cross Fukui Hospital), between 2007 and 2017.

RESULT

Multivariate logistic analysis demonstrated that the G8 score was an independent predictive factor for severe AEs. Moreover, a logistic regression model with restricted cubic spline showed a nonlinear association between the incidence of severe AEs and the G8 score. According to receiver operating characteristic analysis, the most discriminative cutoff value of the G8 for the incidence of severe AEs was 11, with an area under the curve value of 0.670. AEs occurred most often in the first course of chemotherapy and decreased as the course progressed.

CONCLUSION

The G8 score, an easy-to-use geriatric assessment tool, can be a useful prediction model of treatment-related severe AEs during standard therapy in older adults with DLBCL.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

In older patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), to accurately predict the risk of severe adverse events (AEs) in advance is essential for safe and effective treatment. This study demonstrated that the Geriatric 8 score, a simple and established geriatric assessment tool, indicated a high predictive ability for occurrence of therapy-related severe AEs in elderly patients with DLBCL who were treated with standard treatment.

Approaches to aggressive B-cell lymphomas in less fit patients

Treating unfit patients with aggressive B-cell lymphoma poses the dilemma of balancing potential cure while minimizing toxicity because of frailty and comorbidities. Age greater than 80 years and common comorbidities such as cardiovascular disease and poorly controlled diabetes mellitus often preclude the use of full-dose anthracyclines and steroids, the backbones of standard regimens for aggressive B-cell lymphomas. Assessing patient fitness remains subjective, with no consensus on best practice or how to integrate assessment tools into decision making. Incorporation of prephase steroids for all unfit patients may markedly improve performance status with consideration of standard dose therapy, especially in patients less than age 80. Although randomized studies are lacking, current data suggest patients age ≥ 80 years are considered unfit a priori and should receive dose-reduced anthracycline regimens or anthracycline-free regimens. Severe toxicity is highest after the first cycle of chemotherapy. Dose reductions for cycle 1 in unfit patients with plans to escalate as tolerated is often an effective strategy. Unfit patients often benefit from comanagement with gerontologists, cardio-oncologists, and endocrinologists depending on age and the nature of comorbidities. Palliative therapy for patients with newly diagnosed aggressive B-cell lymphoma results in median survivals of less than 3 months, and in general, should only be considered in patients with untreatable comorbidities such as advanced dementia or refractory metastatic solid tumors. Incorporating new, potentially less toxic agents such as novel antibodies, antibody-drug conjugates, and bispecific antibodies into first-line therapy is an exciting future direction with potential for substantial benefit in less fit patients.

Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma in the Elderly: Current Approaches

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Older patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) may face challenges in treatment due to comorbidities and tolerance of chemotherapy.

RECENT FINDINGS

Older patients are at increased risk for treatment-related toxicity if they are unfit or frail by comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA); however, treatment with non-anthracycline chemotherapy is associated with inferior outcomes in fit and unfit patients. Many older patients remain curable with standard R-CHOP chemotherapy. Careful assessment of frailty, function, and comorbidities using CGA may aid clinicians in initial therapy choices.

Application of comprehensive geriatric assessment in predicting early mortality among elder patients with B-cell lymphoma receiving immunochemotherapy

OBJECTIVES

Early mortality, defined as death within 120 days after initiated antitumor therapy, is an important issue especially for elder patients with B-cell lymphoma. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical value of comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) in early mortality prediction in elderly patients with B-cell lymphoma receiving immunochemotherapy.

METHODS

Seventy-six consecutive patients with newly diagnosed B-cell lymphoma receiving immunochemotherapy from a medical center in Taiwan were prospectively enrolled. Patients were divided into fit (n = 49) and frail (n = 27) groups per pretreatment CGA for early mortality comparison.

RESULTS

The early mortality rate in our patient cohort was 16% (n = 12): from 6% in patients with no CGA domain impairment to 43% in patients with ≥4 CGA domain impairment. The early mortality rate was 6% and 33% in fit and frail patients (odds ratio, 7.67; 95% CI, 1.86-31.6; P = .005), respectively. Frailty was the significant predictor for early mortality in univariate and multivariate analysis.

CONCLUSION

In this study, the number of geriatric domain impairment is positively associated with the early mortality risk in elderly patients with B-cell lymphoma. Therefore, CGA can help clinicians to identify the risk of early mortality in elderly patients and provide alternative treatment.

Frontline treatments in extremely elderly patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma: a population-based study in Taiwan, 2010-2015

Background

The standard frontline therapy for patients with diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is R-CHOP. However, patients older than 80 years are excluded from clinical trials. The importance of rituximab and anthracycline remains unknown in extremely elderly DLBCL patients. Here, we incorporated data from the Taiwan Cancer Registry Database (TCRD), National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD), and National Death Registry to evaluate the clinical benefits of rituximab and anthracycline in elderly patients. From the TCRD and NHIRD, we included DLBCL patients aged older than 60 years who received R-CHOP, R-CVP, CHOP, or CVP between 2010 and 2015.

Results

Of the 3228 eligible patients, 2559 were between 60 and 79 years (the 60–79 group), and 669 were older than 80 years (the 80+ group). The proportions of patients in the different Ann Arbor stages and the practice settings were similar in both groups. The male-to-female ratio and the Charlson comorbidity index (CCI) scores in the 80+ group were higher than those in the 60–79 group. Patients in the 60–79 group received R-CHOP more frequently than those in the 80+ group. In the 60–79 group, the median age of the patients receiving R-CVP or CVP was older than those receiving R-CHOP or CHOP. In the analysis of overall survival (OS) and time to treatment failure (TTF), R-CHOP, female sex, younger age, lower Ann Arbor stage, lower CCI score, and care at a medical center predicted a favorable prognosis in the 60–79 group. However, only R-CHOP, younger age, and lower Ann Arbor stage remained independent favorable prognostic factors in the 80+ group.

Conclusions

Our population-based study demonstrated the clinical benefits of rituximab and anthracycline in extremely elderly Asian patients with DLBCL.

Management of older Hodgkin lymphoma patients

Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) in older patients, commonly defined as ≥60 years of age, is a disease for which survival rates have historically been significantly lower compared with younger patients. Older HL patients appear to have different disease biology compared with younger patients, including increased incidence of mixed cellularity histology, Epstein-Barr virus-related, and advanced-stage disease. For prognostication, several studies have documented the significance of comorbidities and functional status in older HL patients, as well as the importance of achieving initial complete remission. Collectively, selection of therapy for older HL patients should be based in part on functional status, including pretreatment assessment of activities of daily living (ADL), comorbidities, and other geriatric measures (eg, cognition, social support). Treatment of fit older HL patients should be given with curative intent, regardless of disease stage. However, attention should be paid to serious treatment-related toxicities, including risk of treatment-related mortality. Although inclusion of anthracycline therapy is important, bleomycin-containing regimens (eg, doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine, dacarbazine) may lead to prohibitive pulmonary toxicity, and intensive therapies (eg, bleomycin, etoposide, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, procarbazine, prednisone) are too toxic. Brentuximab vedotin given sequentially before and after doxorubicin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine to fit, untreated advanced-stage older HL patients was recently shown to be tolerable and highly effective. Therapy for patients who are unfit or frail because of comorbidities and/or ADL loss is less clear and should be individualized with consideration of lower-intensity therapy, such as brentuximab vedotin with or without dacarbazine. Altogether, therapy for older HL patients should be tailored based upon a geriatric assessment, and novel targeted agents should continue to be integrated into treatment paradigms.

Remaining challenges in predicting patient outcomes for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma

Introduction: Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is the most common non-Hodgkin lymphoma and is an aggressive malignancy with heterogeneous outcomes. Diverse methods for DLBCL outcomes assessment ranging from clinical to genomic have been developed with variable predictive and prognostic success.Areas covered: The authors provide an overview of the various methods currently used to estimate prognosis in DLBCL patients. Models incorporating cell of origin, genomic features, sociodemographic factors, treatment effectiveness measures, and machine learning are described.Expert opinion: The clinical and genetic heterogeneity of DLBCL presents distinct challenges in predicting response to therapy and overall prognosis. Successful integration of predictive and prognostic tools in clinical trials and in a standard clinical workflow for DLBCL will likely require a combination of methods incorporating clinical, sociodemographic, and molecular factors with the aid of machine learning and high-dimensional data analysis.

Treatment approaches for older and oldest patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma - Use of non-R-CHOP alternative therapies and impact of comorbidities on treatment choices and outcome: A Humedica database retrospective cohort analysis, 2007-2015

INTRODUCTION

We characterized real-world treatment patterns in older (65-74 years) and oldest (75-85 years) patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) receiving initial therapy (R-CHOP, non-R-CHOP regimens). Impact of comorbidities on treatment choice, and overall and progression-free survival (OS, PFS) were assessed by age.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Using the Humedica database, we identified 1436 newly diagnosed patients with DLBCL who received frontline therapy from 1/07-9/15. The 885 patients ≥65 years of age were further evaluated for baseline demographics, comorbidities, initial therapy, and PFS/OS.

RESULTS

Of 885 patients, 406 (45.9%) were age 65-74, and 479 (54.1%) age 75-85, years. First line therapy was R-CHOP (61.8%) or non-R-CHOP (38.2%). Although Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) scores were similar at baseline, congestive heart failure and myocardial infarction were more common in those receiving non-R-CHOP regimens. Survival outcomes were superior for those receiving initial R-CHOP, versus non-R-CHOP, therapy (median PFS 53.9 versus 27.8 months; two-year PFS 71.2% versus 51.6%, p < .0001; median OS not reached versus 45 months; two-year OS 81.3% versus 62.9%, p < .0001, respectively). Only 10.4% (R-CHOP) and 12.1% (non-R-CHOP) of patients received second line therapies. Two-year OS by age (65-74, 75-85 years) was 66.4% and 39.1%, respectively with R-CHOP (p = .0045), and 74.3% and 54.5%, respectively with non-R-CHOP (p = .004), therapy. Age ≥ 75 years and CCI of 2+ were associated with shorter OS and PFS.

CONCLUSIONS

This study identified real-world first line treatment patterns for older patients with DLBCL. Our findings support the feasibility of administering standard R-CHOP therapy, even to oldest patients with DLBCL.

Secondary lymphoma develops in the setting of heart failure when treating breast cancer: A case report

BACKGROUND

Cardiovascular side effects occur frequently during anti-cancer treatment, and there is a growing concern that they may lead to premature morbidity and death.

CASE SUMMARY

A 32-year-old woman was diagnosed with breast cancer. After comprehensive treatment with neoadjuvant chemotherapy, surgery, postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy, postoperative adjuvant radiotherapy, and endocrine therapy, her breast cancer was cured. However, heart failure associated with anti-cancer treatment presented, most probably related to chemotherapy containing anthracycline. After active treatment, her cardiac function returned to normal. Unfortunately, follow-up visits revealed a second primary malignancy, lymphoma. After multiple courses of chemotherapy combined with targeted therapy, her lymphoma acquired complete remission and no cardiotoxicity was observed again. Heart failure related to breast treatment may be reversible.

CONCLUSION

Using alternatives to anthracycline in patients with lymphoma who are at risk of cardiac failure may preserve cardiac function.

A population-based multistate model for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma-specific mortality in older patients

BACKGROUND

Despite effective therapies, outcomes for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLCBL) remain heterogeneous in older individuals due to comorbid diseases and variations in disease biology.

METHODS

Using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)-Medicare database, the authors conducted a multistate survival analysis of 11,780 patients with DLBCL who were aged ≥65 years at the time of diagnosis (2002-2009). Cox proportional hazards models were used to specify the impact of prognostic factors on overall survival and cause-specific deaths, and the Aalen-Johansen estimator was used to project the course of DLBCL over time with or without standard therapy with rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (R-CHOP).

RESULTS

Advanced age (hazard ratio [HR] for ages 71-75 years: 1.25; HR for ages 76-80 years: 1.46; HR for ages 81-85 years: 1.88; and HR for age ≥86 years: 2.26), DLBCL stage (HR for Ann Arbor stage II: 1.28; HR for stage III: 1.54; and HR for stage IV: 1.95), Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) ≥1 (HR for CCI of 1, 1.15; and HR for CCI >1, 1.37), and not being married (HR, 1.12) were associated with an increased risk of DLBCL-specific death. Being female (HR, 0.91) and of higher socioeconomic status (HR, 0.91) were associated with a lower risk of DLBCL-related mortality after therapy. For patients treated with R-CHOP (3610 patients), the risk of death due to DLBCL was 14.0% and 18.6%, respectively, at 2 and 5 years of treatment and plateaued afterward, confirming a 5-year "cure" point while receiving R-CHOP among older patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Conducting a survival analysis over a large data set, the current study evaluated competing risks for death within a multistate modeling framework, and identified age, sex, and CCI as risk factors for DLBCL-specific and other causes of death.

The metronomic all-oral DEVEC is an effective schedule in elderly patients with diffuse large b-cell lymphoma

Metronomic-chemotherapy (M-CHT) has been rarely assessed in non-Hodgkin-lymphoma (NHL). Therefore, in 2011 we started experimenting a new all-oral M-CHT schedule termed DEVEC (Deltacortene®, etoposide, vinorelbine, cyclophosphamide, +/-Rituximab) in diffuse-large-B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) patients. Methods Patients with stage Ib-IV were enrolled as follows: 1) treatment-naïve, frail ≥65y, or unfit ≥85y; and 2) relapsed/refractory (R/R) ≥55y. Data were prospectively collected from six Italian centres and compared for efficacy to two reference groups, treated with established iv Rituximab-CHT in 1^st and 2^nd line respectively. Results from April-2011 to March-2018, 17/51(33%) naïve, 21/51(41%) refractory and 13/51(25.5%) relapsed patients started DEVEC; 39/51(76.5%) were de-novo DLBCL; 10/51(19.6%) transformed-DLBCL and 2/51(3.9%) unclassifiable-DLBCL/classical-Hodgkin-lymphoma. The median age was 85y (range=77-93) and 78y (range=57-91) in naïve and R/R respectively and overall the DEVEC patients had very poor features compared to the reference. The rate of grade≥3 haematological-AEs was 43%(95CI=29-58%): G3-neutropenia was the most frequent; grade≥3 extra-haematological-AEs was 13.7% (95%CI=5.4-25.9%), the most frequent was infection. One-year OS and PFS were 67% and 61% for naive, 60% and 50% for reference-naïve respectively; Cox proportional hazard ratio (Cox-PH-ratio) for OS and PFS were 0.69 (95%CI=0.27-1.76;p=.441) and 0.68 (95%CI=0.28-1.62;p=.381) respectively. One-year OS and PFS were 48% and 39% in the R/R, 36% and 17% in the reference-R/R respectively; Cox-PH-ratio for OS and PFS, were 0.76 (95%CI=0.42-1.40; p=.386) and 0.48 (95%CI=0.28-0.82; p=.007) respectively. Conclusion The favourable activity of DEVEC compared to a real-life series and the convenience of an oral administration, may possibly lay the groundwork for a paradigm-shift in the treatment of elderly DLBCL.

Potentially inappropriate medication use in elderly non-Hodgkin lymphoma patients is associated with reduced survival and increased toxicities

Survival outcomes for elderly lymphoma patients are disproportionally inferior to those of younger patients. We examined medication usage at diagnosis for 171 elderly patients (median age 70 years) with aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma treated between 2009 and 2014. At least one potentially inappropriate medication was used in 47% of patients according to the Beers Criteria, 59% experienced treatment delays and/or dose reduction and 65% experienced ≥ grade 3 treatment-related toxicities. We report here for the first time that potentially inappropriate medication use was associated with reduced progression-free survival and overall survival, and increased ≥ grade 3 treatment-related toxicities in multivariate analysis.