A retrospective, multi-center analysis of treatment intensification for human immunodeficiency virus-positive patients with high-risk diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

This analysis reviews the response rate (RR), treatment toxicity and overall survival (OS) for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive patients with high-risk diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and the impact of treatment intensification. Fifty patients, treated with either rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisolone (R-CHOP) (n = 35) or cyclophosphamide, vincristine, doxorubicin, methotrexate/etoposide, ifosfamide, cytarabine (CODOX-M/IVAC) ± R (n = 15) chemotherapy, were included. Baseline characteristics did not differ between the two treatment groups. Forty-seven patients (94%) received rituximab and 48 (96%) received combination anti-retroviral therapy, with chemotherapy. The RR and treatment-related mortality were not significantly different between the two groups. Overall, 68% achieved complete remission. There were significantly more infections and non-hematological toxicities in the CODOX-M/IVAC ± R group. With a median follow-up of 28 months, 2-year progression-free survival (PFS) and OS are 68% and 70%, respectively, with no significant differences in remission duration, PFS or OS between the groups. In our cohort, the outcome for HIV-positive patients with high-risk DLBCL is favorable. Treatment intensification is feasible, but demonstrated no advantage over R-CHOP.

HIV status does not influence outcome in patients with classical Hodgkin lymphoma treated with chemotherapy using doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine in the highly active antiretroviral therapy era.

PURPOSE: The prognosis of HIV-infected patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in the highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) era approaches that of the general population when they are treated with the same protocols. We analyzed the outcome of patients with Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) treated with doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine (ABVD) in the HAART era according to HIV serostatus to establish whether this also holds true for HL. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From 1997 to 2010, 224 patients newly diagnosed with HL, of whom 93 were HIV positive, were consecutively treated with ABVD chemotherapy. HIV-positive patients had more high-risk disease according to the International Prognostic Score (IPS) than HIV-negative patients (IPS≥3: 68% v 26%, respectively; P<.001). Forty-seven HIV-positive patients had a CD4 count less than 200/µL, and 92 patients received HAART during chemotherapy. RESULTS: The complete response rate was 74% for HIV-positive patients and 79% for HIV-negative patients (P=not significant). After a median follow-up of 60 months (range, 8 to 174 months), 23 patients (16 HIV-negative and seven HIV-positive patients) have experienced relapse at a median time of 6 months (range, 1 to 106 months). Five-year event-free survival (EFS) was 59% (95% CI, 47% to 70%) for HIV-positive patients and 66% (95% CI, 57% to 74%) for HIV-negative patients (P=not significant). Five-year overall survival (OS) was 81% (95% CI, 69% to 89%) and 88% (95% CI, 80% to 93%) for HIV-positive and HIV-negative patients, respectively (P=not significant). HIV status did not predict OS or EFS on multivariate analysis including IPS and HIV status. CONCLUSION: This mature study demonstrates that HIV-positive patients with HL have more extensive disease with more adverse prognostic factors than HIV-negative patients, but when treated with ABVD, HIV infection does not adversely affect OS or EFS.