Enhancement of the International prognostic index with ß2-microglobulin, platelet count and red blood cell distribution width: a new prognostic model for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma in the rituximab era.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to propose a new user-friendly, cost effective and robust risk model to facilitate risk stratification for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) treated with frontline R-CHOP regimens. METHODS: Data on 998 patients with de novo DLBCL diagnosed between Jan 1st, 2005 and Dec 31st, 2018 at our center, who received frontline R-CHOP or R-CHOP-like regimens, were retrospectively collected. Patients were randomly divided into the training cohort (n = 701) and the validation cohort (n = 297). A new prognostic model for overall survival (OS) was built based on the training cohort. The performance of the new model was compared with International prognostic index (IPI), revised IPI (R-IPI) and National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN)-IPI (NCCN-IPI). The new model was validated in the validation cohort. RESULTS: The multivariate analysis of the training cohort showed that the IPI, ß2-microglobulin, platelet count and red blood cell distribution width were independent factors for OS, which were incorporated into the new prognostic model. Patients were stratified into low risk, low-intermediate risk, high-intermediate risk, high risk and very high risk groups, with distinct survival outcomes. The new model achieved good C-indexes for 5-year OS prediction of 0.750 (95%CI 0.719-0.781) and 0.733 (95%CI 0.682-0.784) in the training and validation cohorts, respectively, and displayed well-fitted calibration curves. The C-index and the time-dependent ROC analysis demonstrated better performance of the new model than the IPI, R-IPI and NCCN-IPI in both training and validation cohorts. The integrated Brier score for predicting 5-year OS of the new model was lower than that of the IPI, R-IPI and NCCN-IPI in both cohorts, and decision curve analysis also showed a higher net benefit, indicating the superiority of the new model over the conventional models. CONCLUSION: The new prognostic model might be a useful predictive tool for DLBCL treated with R-CHOP regimens. Further external validation is warranted.

Prognostic Nomogram for Overall Survival in Patients with Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to develop a prognostic nomogram in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and compare it with traditional prognostic systems. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We included 1,070 consecutive and nonselected patients with DLBCL in the National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, between 2006 and 2012. A nomogram based on the Cox proportional hazards model was developed. RESULTS: The entire group were divided into the primary (n = 748) and validation (n = 322) cohorts. The 5-year overall survival (OS) rate was 64.1% for the entire group. Based on a multivariate analysis of the primary cohort, seven independent prognostic factors including age, Ann Arbor stage, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status score, lactate dehydrogenase, ß2-microglobulin, CD5 expression, and Ki-67 index were identified and entered the nomogram. The calibration curve showed the optimal agreement between nomogram prediction and actual observation. In addition, the concordance index (C-index) of the nomogram for OS prediction was 0.77 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.73-0.81) in the primary cohort and 0.76 (95% CI, 0.70-0.81) in the validation, superior to that of the international prognostic index (IPI), revised IPI (R-IPI), and National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN)-IPI (range, 0.69-0.74, p<.0001). Moreover, in patients receiving rituximab plus CHOP (R-CHOP) or R-CHOP-like regimens, compared with IPI (C-index, 0.73; 95% CI, 0.69-0.77), R-IPI (C-index, 0.70; 95% CI, 0.66-0.74), or NCCN-IPI (C-index, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.66-0.75), the DLBCL-specific nomogram showed a better discrimination capability (p < .0001). CONCLUSIONS: The proposed nomogram provided an accurate estimate of survival of patients with DLBCL, especially for those receiving R-CHOP or R-CHOP-like regimens, allowing clinicians to optimized treatment plan based on individualized risk prediction. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: A diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL)-specific prognostic nomogram was developed based on Chinese patients with DLBCL. As a tertiary hospital, National Cancer Center/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences is the number 1 ranked cancer center in China, with more than 800,000 outpatients in 2018. Patients included in this study were nonselected and came from 29 different provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions in China. Thus, the data is believed to be representative to an extent.

Studies on the chemical constituents of the roots of Rhododendron molle G. Don.

The compounds from the root of Rhododendron molle G. Don were isolated, purified by various chromatographic techniques, and their structures were identified according to the physical and chemical features and spectral data. Three compounds were separated from the root of Rhododendron molle G. Don and identified as Rhodojaponin-III, taraxerol, beta-sitosterol for the first time.