Outcome and Prognostic Factors of Primary Central Nervous System Lymphoma in Southern Thailand

CONTEXT: Primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) is an uncommon type of brain tumor that has an aggressive disease course. Its outcomes, including factor-related outcomes, are therefore not well established in our country. AIMS: This study aims to investigate the outcome and prognostic factors in PCNSL patients at our institute. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: Retrospective study in a single university hospital. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We reviewed consecutive cases of newly diagnosed PCNSL at Prince of Songkla University from 2005 to 2018. The data were collected to evaluate the treatment outcomes and prognostic factors. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: The Kaplan–Meier method for survival analysis, and Cox regression for variable analysis. RESULTS: Eighty-seven patients met the inclusion criteria. Patients were predominantly male, and their mean age was 58.8 ± 11.2 years. Only four patients were infected with HIV. Motor weakness was the most common presentation, and neuroimaging revealed multiple lesions in 56.3% of patients. The patients were divided into four groups according to treatment modality: palliative treatment, whole-brain radiotherapy (WBRT) alone, chemotherapy (CMT) alone, and combined WBRT and CMT groups. The median overall survival was 7 months. The 1-, 2-, and 5-year survival rates were 29%, 21.5%, and 4.6%, respectively. The age of >60 years was a significant poor prognostic factor. In addition, patients who received combined treatment exhibited the highest survival rate. CONCLUSIONS: PCNSL has a low survival rate, even in the present era. Older age is the most substantial factor associated with unfavorable outcomes. The most effective treatment is combined with WBRT and CMT.