Anthracyclin – Based Chemotherapy in Patients with Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Aged Over 75

The optimal treatment of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) in elderly patients is controversial. In this study, we evaluated the outcomes for elderly patients who were treated with combined chemotherapy regimens. Patients with lymphoma aged over 75 treated at our Cancer Institute between 2005 and 2014 were evaluated retrospectively. Demographic data were collected from 76 elderly lymphoma cases receiving Rituximab-Chemotherapy, Chemotherapy only or Rituximab only. Survival or death during treatment were recorded, and lengths of progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were calculated. Seventy-six elderly patients with lymphoma were enrolled, 51.4% (n= 39) male and 48.6% (n= 37) female. Median age at diagnosis was 79 (75-95) years. Histopathological examination revealed diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) in 52% (n= 40) of patients, follicular lymphoma in 21% (n= 16), marginal zone lymphoma in 10.5% (n= 8), mantle cell lymphoma in 5.3% (n= 4), and T cell lymphoma in 9.2% (n= 7). Median PFS and median OS were 50.1 and 45.9 months, respectively. In this trial, PFS and OS levels in the high grade lymphoma were not significantly different from those in the low and intermediate grade groups (p= 0.16 and p= 0.49 respectively). Comorbidity did not have a significant effect on PFS or OS (p= 0.71 and p= 0.93). In conclusion, anthracyclin-based chemotherapy regimens are not significantly better than the others in terms of PFS (p= 0.32) and OS (p= 0.8). Survival outcomes of anthracyclin-based chemotherapy regimens in elderly lymphoma patients are similar to those of non-anthracycline-based chemotherapy regimens.