Researchers have developed a new way to interpret risk and prognosis in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma
Using a novel statistical method, they’ve calculated the loss in life expectancy for those affected by the cancer
This value represents the difference in remaining life years between patients and the general population
Unlike 5-year survival, loss in life expectancy offers a straightforward way to estimate the impact of cancer over a person’s entire lifespan
The researchers estimated trends in life-years lost due to cancer for recently diagnosed patients and for two-year survivors before and after rituximab became available
and found that patients diagnosed in the rituximab era experienced fewer years lost than those diagnosed in the early 2000s
But the results also revealed that young high-risk patients with primary refractory disease and early relapse still experience significantly reduced life expectancies
highlighting one of the most important groups still in need of new approaches to disease management
Ekberg S., et al. Long-term survival and loss in expectancy of life in a population-based cohort of 7114 patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. 2018. American Journal of Hematology