Systematic review of outcomes and patient heterogeneity in relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma

AIM: To evaluate trials of systemic therapies in transplant-ineligible or -experienced, relapsed/refractory diffuse large-B cell lymphoma and the impact of patient characteristics on overall response rate (ORR). PATIENTS & METHODS: Systematically reviewed multiple databases through 22 July 2021. Analyzed variations in patient characteristics and their relationship with ORR across trials. RESULTS: Among 17 included trials, key patient characteristics varied substantially: primary refractory (0–69%), refractory to last line of therapy (LOT) (12–100%), ≥2 prior LOTs (14–100%), ≥3 prior LOTs (0–64%), IPI ≥3 (23–73%), tumor stage III/IV (50–90%) and median age (56–74 years). ORRs varied substantially (25–83%), correlating with these characteristics. CONCLUSION: Differences in patient characteristics significantly contribute to the variability in ORR across these trials and should be considered when contextualizing efficacy data.