- 90: Clin Infect Dis. 2003 Dec 1;37(11):1556-64. Epub 2003 Nov 06
Improvement of systemic human immunodeficiency virus-related non-Hodgkin lymphoma outcome in the era of highly active antiretroviral therapy.
Vaccher E, Spina M, Talamini R, Zanetti M, di Gennaro G, Nasti G, Tavio M, Bernardi D, Simonelli C, Tirelli U.
Division of Medical Oncology A, National Cancer Institute, Aviano, Italy.
To assess the impact of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) on the outcome of systemic human immunodeficiency virus-related non-Hodgkin lymphoma (HIV-NHL), we retrospectively analyzed 235 patients in whom HIV-NHL was diagnosed from April 1988 through December 1999. A multivariate Cox proportional hazards model was used to estimate prognostic factors for overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and disease-free survival (DFS). Complete remission occurred in 49% of patients, and the 3-year rates of OS, PFS, and DFS were 19%, 49%, and 73%, respectively. The greatest risk for shortened OS, PFS, and DFS was associated with no HAART use (compared with long-term HAART use); hazard ratios were 17.42 (95% confidence interval [CI], 17.42-40.25), 9.11 (95% CI, 3.71-22.32), and 8.54 (95% CI, 1.19-61.11), respectively. Our study suggests that the long-term use of HAART may favorably change the outcome for patients with systemic HIV-NHL.