Prognostic analysis of DLBCL patients and the role of upfront ASCT in high-intermediate and high-risk patients

The role of autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) as a frontline treatment in patients with diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) who are in their first remission has not been fully elucidated in the rituximab era. We analyzed 272 DLBCL patients who received 4–6 cycles of R-CHOP (rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisone) or R-CHOP followed by ASCT, from January 2005 to June 2013 in our institution. Multivariate analysis showed the none germinal center B cell (non-GCB) subtype (P=0.014, P=0.012) and International Prognostic Index (IPI) (3–5) (P=0.004, P=0.016) were independent unfavorable predictors of overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS), respectively. To investigate the treatment effect of upfront ASCT, we selected 94 high-intermediate and high-risk DLBCL patients who achieved complete remission after R-CHOP, with 41 in the ASCT and 53 in the non-ASCT groups. Survival analysis revealed patients who received upfront ASCT compared with those who did not had better OS (3-year OS: 74.5% vs. 50.4%, P=0.029) or PFS (3-year PFS: 59.6% vs. 32.1%, P=0.004), suggesting up-front ASCT following R-CHOP could improve the outcome of high-intermediate and high-risk DLBCL patients.