Serum ferritin level is a prognostic marker in patients with peripheral T-cell lymphoma.

Introduction: The prognostic value of serum ferritin level in patients with peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL) remains unknown.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed clinical data from 78 consecutive patients with newly diagnosed PTCL that were treated with anthracycline-containing regimens between 1998 and 2011.

Results: The patients consisted of 50 males and 28 females with a median age of 64 years (range, 16-83 years). The subtypes of PTCL were 39 PTCL, not otherwise specified and 39 angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma (AITL). The median observation period for the surviving patients was 50 months. The overall survival (OS) was poorer in patients with serum ferritin level above the upper normal limit (n = 28), compared with patients with serum ferritin level within normal range (n = 50; 4-year OS: 23% vs. 72%; P < 0.001). In the multivariate analysis, poor performance status (P = 0.006) and elevated serum ferritin level (P = 0.018) were independent risk factors for poor OS.

Conclusion: Serum ferritin level is a useful prognostic marker for PTCL.