HBsAg is an independent prognostic factor in diffuse large B cell lymphoma patients in rituximab era: result from a multicenter retrospective analysis in China

This study mainly focused on the impact of Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection on the prognosis of diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) patients in rituximab era, using a Cox regression model to ascertain the prediction value of the serum HBV marker in survivals. Three hundred and eighty four DLBCL patients treated with rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin/epirubicin, vincristine and prednisone (R-CHOP-like regimens) or CHOP-like regimens were included. Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) of the patients have or have not received rituximab were analyzed separately. In the CHOP group, HBV infection has not been found a profound impact on the survivals. In the R-CHOP group, PFS and OS were inferior in HBsAg-positive patients (p = 0.031 and p = 0.006, respectively); after adjusting for International Prognostic Index parameters, HBsAg is an independent unfavorable factor for both PFS (RR = 2.492) and OS (RR = 2.589).