Treatment outcomes and survival in patients with primary central nervous system lymphomas treated between 1995 and 2010 - a single centre report

The Efficacy and Safety of Cytarabine on Newly Diagnosed Primary Central Nervous System Lymphoma: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background: The role of cytarabine on newly diagnosed primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) remains controversial. The present study mainly aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of cytarabine in the induction treatment of PCNSL.

Methods: We systematically searched PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane library for randomized controlled trials comparing treatment of PCNSL patients with or without cytarabine. A meta-analysis was conducted to compare the odds ratios (ORs) with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for complete remission (CR) rate, overall response rate (ORR), grade 3–4 toxic effects, hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% CIs for progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS) using Stata 12.0.

Results: In total, three randomized clinical trials were analyzed in this study. The result of our statistical analysis demonstrated that the application of cytarabine was closely correlated with a higher CR (OR: 2.27, 95% CI: 1.29–3.99, P < 0.01) and ORR (OR: 2.11, 95% CI: 1.14–3.93, P = 0.02). No significant difference was found in OS (HR: 0.75, 95% CI: 0.50–1.13, P = 0.17), but PFS had been improved (HR: 0.66, 95% CI: 0.45–0.97, P = 0.04) when cytarabine was added to the treatment regimen. The grade 3–4 side effect rate of the cytarabine group was higher (overall OR: 2.95, 95% CI: 1.37–6.34, P < 0.01) than that of the cytarabine-free group.

Conclusions: This meta-analysis verifies that adding cytarabine to the therapeutic regimen is helpful for newly diagnosed PCNSL patients in terms of CR, ORR, and PFS. Moreover, it should be noted that the grade 3–4 toxic effects, especially hematological toxicity, are higher in the cytarabine group than in the cytarabine-free group. The results indicate that cytarabine plays an important role in the induction therapy of PCNSL. Large-sample and high-quality RCTs should be conducted to verify our results and confirm the effects of cytarabine on newly diagnosed PCNSL.

Effect of rituximab on primary central nervous system lymphoma: a meta-analysis

The effect of rituximab on primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) is controversial. We performed this meta-analysis to assess the efficacy of treatment with or without rituximab for PCNSL. We first conducted a search for qualified studies using PubMed, the Cochrane Library, and the Web of Science. The meta-analysis was conducted to compare odds ratios (ORs) with the corresponding 95% confidence interval (95% CI) for complete remission (CR) rate, progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS) using Review Manager 5.0. We included two randomized clinical trials and six retrospective studies in this meta-analysis. The results of our statistical analysis show that the use of rituximab was closely correlated with a higher CR (OR 1.70, 95% CI 1.17-2.46, P = 0.005), 2-year PFS (OR 2.11, 95% CI 1.08-4.11, P = 0.03), 5-year PFS (OR 2.54, 95% CI 1.64-3.93, P < 0.0001), 2-year OS (OR 2.40, 95% CI 1.73-3.34, P < 0.00001), and 5-year OS (OR 2.87, 95% CI 2.02-4.08, P < 0.00001). These results may help to inform therapeutic strategies including the use of rituximab and to improve therapeutic planning for PCNSL patients.

Role of microRNAs in primary central nervous system lymphomas

Primary central nervous system lymphomas (PCNSL) are extranodal non-Hodgkin lymphomas arising exclusively inside the CNS, and account for about 3% of primary intracranial tumours. This tumour lacks systemic manifestations and prognosis of patients with PCNSL remains poor despite recent advancement of chemoradiotherapy. MicroRNAs are small non-coding RNAs that post-transcriptionally downregulate gene expression by binding to target mRNAs, inducing their degradation or translational repression. MicroRNAs play significant roles in almost all malignancy-related biological processes, including cell proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis and metabolism. Many deregulated miRNAs has been identified in PCNSL but their biological significance remains to be fully elucidated. In this review, we summarize current evidence regarding the pathogenic role of PCNSL-associated microRNAs and their potential applications for diagnosis and prognostication of this deadly disease.

The influence of rituximab, high-dose therapy followed by autologous stem cell transplantation, and age in patients with primary CNS lymphoma

For patients with diffuse large B cell lymphoma without the involvement of the CNS, the addition of rituximab to standard chemotherapy has significantly improved survival. In this single-center, retrospective analysis, a total of 81 primary CNS lymphoma (PCNSL) patients treated in our institution between 2000 and 2011 were included. Beside first-line chemotherapy with or without rituximab, we evaluated the impact of age (≤/>60 years), autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT +/-), and other factors upon overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). In patients treated with rituximab (n = 27), 3-year OS was 77.8 % (95 % confidence interval (CI) 62-93 %). In contrast, in patients treated without rituximab (n = 52), 3-year OS was only 39.9 % (CI 27-53 %, Fig. 1). The difference in OS was significant in the univariate (p = 0.002) as well as in the multivariate analysis (p = 0.049, hazard ratio (HR) = 0.248). Patients ≤60 years of age (n = 28) had a 3-year OS of 78.2 % (CI 63-94 %); in patients >60 years (n = 51), 3-year OS was 38.7 % (CI 25-52 %). Patients who received high-dose therapy and ASCT had a 3-year OS of 85.2 % (CI 72-99 %), and 65.1 % were alive up to the time of analysis (range 9-131 months). Without ASCT, median OS was only 16 months (CI 11-21) and 3-year OS was 35.2 % (CI 22-48 %). Age and ASCT were significantly associated with better OS in univariate (p = 0.002 and p < 0.001) as well in multivariate analysis (p = 0.004, HR = 0.023 and p = 0.001, HR = 0.014). Rituximab treatment, ASCT, and age are independent prognostic factors for OS in the first-line treatment of PCNSL.

Diagnosis and treatment of primary central nervous system lymphoma: A report of nine cases and literature review

Primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) is a rare, highly malignant tumor type of the nervous system and is associated with poor prognosis. To investigate the efficacy of current treatment strategies for PCNSL, the present study retrospectively analyzed the clinical and pathological features, imaging results, clinical management, and prognoses of nine patients with PCNSL. Postoperative pathological examination confirmed a diagnosis of lymphoma in all the patients and the adopted treatment regimens were as follows: Stereotactic biopsy in combination with methylprednisolone (MP) and methotrexate (MTX) and/or radiotherapy; craniotomy in combination with dexamethasone or MP and/or radiotherapy; and neuroendoscopic surgery in combination with MP and MTX. The follow-up period was 5-27 months with an average duration of 10.1 months. After the initial three months of follow-up, the clinical symptoms of all the patients were significantly improved, with the tumor disappearing in seven patients and evidently reducing in size in two patients. However, six patients exhibited tumor recurrence, three of whom eventually succumbed to the disease during the follow-up period. Currently, comprehensive treatment strategies based on a combination of stereotactic biopsy, chemotherapy and radiotherapy are recommended for the treatment of PCNSL. However, the effectiveness of these treatments remains unsatisfactory. Thus, future studies are required to investigate methods for improving the efficacy of PCNSL treatment strategies.