Comprehensive geriatric assessment in elderly patients with newly diagnosed aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma treated with multi-agent chemotherapy.

Objectives: The purpose of this prospective observational study is to evaluate the relation of the comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) to tolerability and survival of multi-agent chemotherapy for curative intent in elderly patients with aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL).

Materials And Methods: Patients who were 1) age ≥65 years, 2) newly diagnosed aggressive NHL, and 3) treated with multi-agent chemotherapy within 2 weeks from the time of diagnosis were enrolled from January 2011 to June 2014. Baseline clinical, laboratory, and CGA data being composed of Mini Nutritional Assessment-Short Form (MNA-SF), Korean version of Mini Mental Status Exam, Korean-Geriatric Depression Scale, and Groningen Frailty Index (GFI), were collected and analyzed for the relation to the outcome factors.

Results: Seventy patients were included; the median age was 73.5 years, 27 (38.6%) patients were Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status (PS) of 2 or more, and half of the patients were high or high-intermediate risk by age-adjusted international prognostic index (aaIPI). Most patients received CHOP or CHOP-like chemotherapy. Factors affecting discontinuation of chemotherapy within 12 weeks were poor MNA-SF, poor GFI, poor PS, and presence of B symptom. Among those, poor MNA-SF was independent of other variables in multivariate analysis. Poor MNA-SF, bone marrow involvement, and baseline anemia of hemoglobin<10g /dL were found to be independent factors associated with inferior overall survival whereas aaIPI factors were not.

Conclusion: MNA-SF predicted tolerability to multi-agents chemotherapy and overall survival in elderly patients with aggressive NHL who were treated with multi-agent chemotherapy.