Is adding rituximab to CHOP regimen beneficial to patients with extranodal diffuse large B-cell lymphoma? A retrospective study.

e19511 Background: Adding rituximab to CHOP regimen led to significant improvement in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) treatment outcomes, but its role in case of extranodal DLBCL remains controversial. The aim of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of immunochemotherapy among patients with extranodal DLBCL. Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of medical documentation of 230 patients treated in Maria Sklodowska-Curie Memorial Cancer Center and Institute of Oncology, Gliwice Branch and Franciszek Łukaszczyk Memorial Cancer Center in Bydgoszcz between 2004 and 2011. Inclusion criteria were: newly diagnosed DLBCL CD20(+), patient age above 18 years and first-line treatment with R-CHOP (n=178) or CHOP (n=52) regimen. Patients suffering from primary central nervous system lymphoma, primary mediastinal B-cell lymphoma or with incomplete documentation were excluded. Patient’s characteristics and therapeutic outcomes were compared between group with and without extranodal involvement. Primary e...