Diffuse large B cell lymphoma: prognostic factors in the rituximab era

Abstract

Introduction: The inclusion of rituximab for treatment of diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) generated the need to re-assess the conventionally employed prognostic factors and to explore others that could be useful for prognostic purposes.

Objective: To describe the most important clinical, hematological, biochemical and immunohistochemical factors that have been useful for prognostic purposes in follow-up studies of patients with DLBCL treated with chemotherapy plus rituximab.

Results: The following factors were found to have prognostic significance: the revised International Prognostic Index, bone marrow infiltration, the presence of a bulky mass, CD5 expression and the percentage of Ki-67 expression. Contrariwise, the application of other factors remains controversial: conventional IPI, Bcl-2 and Bcl-6 expression, and the immunohistochemical profile.