Prognostic Role of Serum Albumin Level in Patients with Lymphoma Undergoing Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation

BACKGROUND: High-dose chemotherapy followed by autologous stem cell transplantation (HDT/ASCT) plays a crucial role in the therapy of patients with lymphoma. This retrospective study aimed to analyze prognostic factors in patients undergoing HDT/ASCT for lymphoma. MATERIAL/METHODS: We included patients with lymphoma who underwent HDT/ASCT at our center. Time-to-event outcomes, including progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS), were analyzed with the Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis and Cox proportional hazard regression analysis were performed to explore the prognostic value of different factors. RESULTS: A total of 113 patients with lymphoma were included. Patients with low serum albumin levels (<37 g/L) before transplantation had significantly lower PFS and OS (P<0.01). Albumin levels before transplantation significantly predicted early progression (progressed within 1 year) after transplantation (AUC=0.706, P=0.003). Multivariate Cox analysis indicated that low albumin level (hazard ratio [HR] 3.19, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.54–6.63; P=0.002) and age >60 years (HR 2.92, 95% CI 1.27–6.71; P=0.012) were independent risk factors for PFS. Total protein <60 g/L was an independent risk factor for OS (HR 3.57, 95% CI 1.45–8.78; P=0.006). CONCLUSIONS: Low albumin level before transplantation was an independent risk factor in patients with lymphoma undergoing HDT/ASCT. Intense care and effective maintenance therapy after transplantation are required for patients with low albumin levels.