Key result
Epstein-Barr virus-positive status in DLBCL patients was associated with worse median overall survival (8.7 months) and progression-free survival (6.8 months) versus EBV-negative patients (P=0.0002).
Why the study?
The prognosis of patients with EBV-positive diffuse large B-cell lymphoma remains controversial in the rituximab era.
Does EBV-positive status worsen overall and progression-free survival in patients with DLBCL treated in the rituximab era?
Cohort (n=260)
Does EBV-positive status worsen overall and progression-free survival in patients with DLBCL treated in the rituximab era?
p-value: p=0.0002
EBV-positive status in DLBCL is associated with poor overall and progression-free survival even in the rituximab era.
EBV positivity was associated with markedly inferior survival on rituximab-based therapy; leaves open whether EBV-directed strategies improve outcomes in this subgroup.
Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is the most common subtype of malignant lymphoma. The incidence of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-positive DLBCL in Asian and Latin American countries ranges from 8 to 10%. The prognosis of patients with EBV-positive DLBCL is controversial. To compare the clinical outcome of EBV-positive and EBV-negative patients with DLBCL in the rituximab era, we analyzed 239 patients with de novo DLBCL diagnosed between January 2007 and December 2011. The presence of EBV in lymphoma cells was detected using EBV-encoded RNA in situ hybridization, and it was found that 18 (6.9%) of 260 patients with diagnosed DLBCL tested positive. Among the 260 cases, 216 cases were treated with rituximab plus chemotherapy, as were 8 EBV-positive DLBCL patients. The median overall survival and progression-free survival times in patients with EBV-positive DLBCL were 8.7 months and 6.8 months, respectively. The median overall survival and progression-free survival could not be determined in EBV-negative DLBCL patients (P = 0.0002, P < 0.0001, respectively). The outcome of patients with EBV-positive DLBCL remains poor, even in the rituximab era.
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Sato et al. (2014) conducted a cohort in Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) (n=260). Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-positive status vs. EBV-negative status was evaluated on Overall survival and progression-free survival (p=0.0002). Epstein-Barr virus-positive status in DLBCL patients was associated with worse median overall survival (8.7 months) and progression-free survival (6.8 months) versus EBV-negative patients (P=0.0002).
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