Clinical features and therapeutic efficacy analysis of Epstein-Barr virus-positive T-cell lymphoma patients with hemophagocytic syndrome / 白血病·淋巴瘤

ABSTRACT

Objective:To investigate the effects of hemophagocytic syndrome also known as hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) on the clinical features and therapeutic efficacy of patients with Epstein-Barr virus-positive T-cell lymphoma (EBV-TCL).Methods:The clinical data of patients with EBV-TCL diagnosed by pathological examination in the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University from November 2015 to August 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. According to whether they were accompanied with HLH at the time of onset, patients were divided into HLH group (10 cases) and non-HLH group (13 cases), and the clinical features and prognosis of the two groups were compared. The curative effects of different treatment methods and patients with different plasma EBV-DNA titers were compared.Results:Among 23 patients, 3 cases (13.0%) were in Ann Arbor stage Ⅰ-Ⅱ, 20 cases (87.0%) were in stage Ⅲ-Ⅳ; the International Prognostic Index (IPI) score was 1 point in 3 cases (13.0%), 2 points in 4 cases (17.4%), 3 points in 8 cases (34.8%), 4 points in 8 cases (34.8%). In the HLH group, there were 2 cases of aggressive NK-cell leukemia and 3 cases of childhood systemic EBV-TCL. There were no cases of above two pathological types in the non-HLH group. In the HLH group, the proportions of patients with fever, bone marrow invasion, IPI score > 2 points, and EBV-DNA > 10 4 copies/ml were higher than those in the non-HLH group (all P < 0.05). The objective response rate (complete remission plus partial remission) of all patients after chemotherapy was 47.8% (11/23); there were 3 cases undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in both the HLH group and the non-HLH group, and all achieved objective remission. The objective remission of 7 patients and 10 patients who did not undergo hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in the HLH group and non-HLH group after lymphoma chemotherapy had 0 case and 5 cases, respectively, and the difference was statistically significant ( P = 0.044). In the chemotherapy alone group, 5 of 17 patients had objective remission, 6 patients in the chemotherapy plus transplantation group had objective remission, and the difference was statistically significant ( P = 0.039). Among 16 patients whose plasma EBV-DNA titers turned negative, 11 patients had objective remission, and 7 patients whose plasma EBV-DNA titers were continuously positive had no objective remission, and the difference was statistically significant ( P = 0.001). The 1-year overall survival rate of all patients was 69.3%, and the 2-year overall survival rate was 52.0%. In the HLH group, the 1-year and 2-year overall survival rates of 7 patients receiving chemotherapy alone and 3 patients receiving chemotherapy plus transplantation were 42.9% and 66.7%, respectively. In the non-HLH group, the 1-year overall survival rates of 10 patients receiving chemotherapy alone and 3 patients receiving chemotherapy plus transplantation were 80.0% and 100.0%, respectively; the 2-year overall survival rates were 26.7% and 100.0%,respectively. The overall survival of patients receiving chemotherapy plus transplantation was better than that of those receiving chemotherapy alone in both the HLH group and the non-HLH group, and differences were statistically significant (all P < 0.05). Conclusions:The general clinical stage of patients with EBV-TCL is later, and the prognosis of EBV-TCL patients with HLH is worse. The therapeutic efficacy may be related to plasma EBV-DNA titers. Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation can improve the remission rate.