Objective: To analyse the clinical characteristics, treatments and prognosis of patients with T-cell non-Hodgkins lymphoma (NHL) in intermediate-high and high risk.
Methods: Fifty-four patients with T-cell NHL classified intermediate-high and high risk were retrospectively analyzed.
Results: According to WHO classification criteria, there were 12 cases of T-lymphoblastic lymphoma (TLBL), 31 peripheral T-cell lymphoma unspecified (PTCL-U), and 11 hepatosplenic T-cell lymphoma (HSTCL). The IPI were 12 cases of intermediate-high risk and 42 high risk. Of them, 49 cases were bone marrow affected and 7 CNS affected. The response rate (RR) for the whole group was 86.5%, complete remission (CR) rate 67.3%, and 3-year survival rate 16.0%. The 3-year survival rates for haematopoietic stem cell transplantation and chemotherapy groups were 44.4% and 8.3%, respectively. Multi-factor analysis showed that choice of therapy modality, and achievement of remission were significant factors for overall survival.
Conclusion: T-NHL is a group of heterogeneous malignancies. The response rate of intermediate-high and high risk T- NHL, especially PTCL-U and LTBL, is not low, but its long-term outcome is poor. New treatment modality needs to be explored for these patients, and autologous HSCT is perhaps a good choice.