Prognostic value of pretreatment serum hemoglobin level in early-stage extranodal nasal-type NK/T-cell lymphoma

Objective To investigate the effect of pretreatment serum hemoglobin (Hb) level on the prognosis of early-stage extranodal nasal-type NK/T-cell lymphoma. Methods A retrospective analysis was performed on the clinical data of 175 patients with stage Ⅰ or Ⅱ extranodal nasal-type NK/T-cell lymphoma who were admitted to The Tumor Hospital Affiliated to Shanxi Medical University from 2000 to 2015. The inclusion criteria included Ann Arbor Ⅰ/Ⅱ stage, the primary tumor located in the upper aerodigestive tract, without other malignant diseases, and complete clinical information and follow-up data. Of the 175 patients, 67 received chemotherapy alone, 8 received radiotherapy alone, 100 received radiotherapy and chemotherapyed. The survival rate was calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. The log-rank test was used for univariate prognostic analysis. The Cox regression model was used for multivariate prognostic analysis. Results The univariate analysis showed that pretreatment serum Hb level (≥120 g/L), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) level (normal), Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) score (0-1), Ann Arbor stage (IE), and radiotherapy were associated with significantly improved progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS)(P=0.000-0.046). The multivariate analysis showed that pretreatment serum Hb level, LDH level, ECOG score, and Ann Arbor stage were independent prognostic factors for PFS and OS (P=0.000-0.040). Conclusion Patients with a high pretreatment serum Hb level (≥120 g/L) have a better prognosis than those with a low pretreatment serum Hb level (<120 g/L). Key words: Extranodal nasal type NK/T cell lymphoma; Hemoglobin; Prognosis