Historic Real-World Outcomes and Future Benchmarks for Patients with Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma Receiving First- and Second-Line Therapy in Austria – a Large Single-Center Experience

Cancer research · Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma

The study demonstrated that patients with DLBCL treated with standard R‑CHOP‑based therapy in Austria had unsatisfactory overall survival in high‑risk and relapsed settings, establishing historical benchmarks for emerging CAR‑T and antibody‑drug conjugate treatments.

This retrospective single‑center analysis examined 278 adults diagnosed with diffuse large B‑cell lymphoma (DLBCL) between 2010 and 2018 at Paracelsus Medical University Hospital, Salzburg. The median age was 69 years (range 22–93) and 25.8 % were >75 years. Most patients (91 %) received curative frontline immuno‑chemotherapy (R‑CHOP or R‑COMP) and 21 % received second‑line therapy, predominantly high‑intensity salvage regimens. Progression‑free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were evaluated by Kaplan‑Meier methods. Outcomes were stratified by International Prognostic Index (IPI), cell‑of‑origin (COO), and eligibility for novel therapies such as CAR‑T or ADC. Patients who failed frontline therapy had dismal OS (median <2 years). The study establishes historical benchmarks that can be used to evaluate new regimens (e.g., Pola‑R‑CHP, CAR‑T, ADCs) in Austria’s real‑world setting.

It provides the first real‑world reference cohort for DLBCL in Austria, facilitating evaluation of novel, expensive therapies in a national healthcare context.

Evidence level: Sejtvonalas. Laboratóriumi sejtekben vizsgálták.

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