Plasmablastic lymphoma: Review of 60 Chinese cases and prognosis analysis

BACKGROUND: Plasmablastic lymphoma (PBL) is a B-cell malignancy associated with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). PBL could also influence the HIV-negative patients. The study aimed to identify prognostic factors for survival among Chinese PBL patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eligible patients from literature and Peking Union Medical College Hospital (PUMCH) were included in this study. Clinical characteristics and immunophenotypic data were extracted. Kaplan–Meier curve was used to describe the survival status. Cox regression was used for multivariate analysis. RESULTS: A total of 60 Chinese PBL patients were included, including 54 patients from 36 published articles and 6 new patients that have not been reported. The median overall survival was 7 months (95% confidence interval 3.853–10.147 months). An overwhelming majority (79.31%) of the included cases were Ann Arbor stage IV patients. All the Chinese PBL patients were HIV-negative; 46.81% were Epstein-Barr virus-positive. CD38, CD138, or MUM1 was positively expressed in more than 80% of patients; CD20 expression was also found in 22.03% of cases. Kaplan–Meier curve revealed obvious differences in patient survival between patients in primary stages and advanced stages, as well as between patients with kidney involvement and those without kidney involvement. Cox regression analysis indicated that stage and age were 2 prognostic factors for patient survival. CONCLUSIONS: Advanced stage might be associated with poor prognosis among PBL HIV-negative patients in Chinese.