Association between serum albumin levels and survival in elderly patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma: a single-center retrospective study

BACKGROUND: In clinical hematology, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is notably heterogeneous and varies in prognosis. Serum albumin (SA) is considered a biomarker of prognostic value in a number of hematologic malignancies. However, current knowledge of the association between SA levels and survival is limited, especially in DLBCL patients aged ≥70 years. Thus, this study sought to assess the prognostic value of SA levels among this age group of patients. METHODS: The data of DLBCL patients aged ≥70 years at the Shaanxi Provincial People’s Hospital in China from 2010 to 2021 were retrospectively reviewed. The SA levels were measured using standard procedures. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate survival time, and the Cox proportional hazards model for time-to-event data was used to identify potential risk factors. RESULTS: The data of 96 participants were included in the study. The univariate analysis showed that B symptoms, Ann Arbor stage III or IV of the disease, high International Prognostic Index (IPI) scores, high NCCN-IPI scores, and low SA levels were prognostic factors for an undesirable overall survival (OS) rate. The multivariate analysis showed that a high SA level (hazard ratio: 0.43; 95% confidence interval: 0.2–0.88; P=0.022) was an independent prognostic factor of superior outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: An SA level ≥4.0 g/dL was identified as an independent biomarker of prognostic value for DLBCL patients aged ≥70 years.