Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma of the Liver: A US Population-based Analysis

Background and Aims: Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) of the liver is a rare lymphoid malignancy, accounting for less than 1% of extranodal lymphomas. Methods: I conducted an analysis of the U.S Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database to evaluate the histological subtypes and the survival outcomes of 785 cases with hepatic NHL between 1973 and 2012. Results: There were 785 of 312 459 cases with NHL had a first primary hepatic NHL (0.25%). Of the total 785 cases, the median age at diagnosis was 61 years (range 3–95 years) and male-female ratio of 1.7:1. The most common subtype was diffuse large B cell lymphoma (63.2%). In all patients, the median overall survival (OS) was 33 months (95%CI, 22–48 months). The 5-year OS rate for indolent B-cell NHLs was 62%, compared with 44% for an aggressive B-cell NHLs and 42% for T-cell NHLs. The median OS improved from 19 months in patients diagnosed in a period 1996–2000 to 60 months when diagnosed between 2006 and 2012 (p < .001). In a multivariable Cox regression analysis, the age ≥80 years (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 3.21, p < .001), male gender (aHR 1.26, p = .02), Black race (aHR, 1.70, p < .001), and T-cell NHL variants (aHR 1.73, p = .03) were unfavourable prognostic factors. Conclusion: NHL of the liver comprises about 0.3% of all NHLs and survival was improved in the recent calendar period.