This study aimed to evaluate the outcomes of local radiotherapy (LRT) in patients with histologic transformation (HT) following rituximab-containing chemotherapy.
We retrospectively analysed 92 patients with biopsy-confirmed HT undergoing rituximab-containing chemotherapy at our institution between 2003 and 2015.
Of the 36 patients with limited-stage disease at diagnosis of HT, 29 (78%) received LRT. The estimated 5-year progression-free survival (PFS) rate was significantly better in patients who underwent LRT than in those who did not (93% and 42%, respectively; P < 0.05). Multivariate analyses employing age, sex, performance status, LRT, and treatment response demonstrated that LRT was an independent prognostic factor for PFS (Hazard ratio [HR]: 11.8; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.28-108.1; P < 0.05). Of the 32 patients who underwent LRT for HT lesion treatment, 31 (97%) did not show disease progression within radiation fields; among them, 27 patients (84%) survived without disease progression during the follow-up period. One patient developed hypothyroidism due to LRT; the others had no acute or late-onset complications of LRT.
Our data support the recommendation of LRT for HT lesion treatment following rituximab-containing chemotherapy in select patients with localised HT, as a rational treatment approach with potentially limited toxicity.
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About The Expert
Kenji Nozaki
Dai Maruyama
Akiko Miyagi Maeshima
Kinuko Tajima
Jun Itami
Takafumi Shichijo
Sayako Yuda
Tomotaka Suzuki
Kosuke Toyoda
Nobuhiko Yamauchi
Shinichi Makita
Suguru Fukuhara
Wataru Munakata
Yukio Kobayashi
Hirokazu Taniguchi
Koji Izutsu
Kensei Tobinai
References
PubMed