Evaluation of standart prognostic factors according to age cut-off values (60 years and 50 years) and peak age in our non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas patients

OBJECTIVES: Recently prognostic factors have gained importance in determining treatment decision in non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHL). In this study PFs were examined in NHL patients. METHODS: The records of 225 NHL patients (131 males; 94 females; mean age 51 years) applying to our hospital between January 2001 and April 2004 were evaluated retrospectively. Age, sex, histologic type, localization of disease, bulky tumor, extranodal involvement, involvement of liver, lung, spleen, bone marrow, presence of B symptoms, ECOG-PS, stage, IPI were investigated as PFs. Patients were divided into two groups according to two age cut-off values (60 years and 50 years). Thus subgroups were compared with respect to these PFs. RESULTS: Peak ages were 61-70 (23. 6% of patients), and then 51-60 (19.6%). IPI and ECOG-PS were significantly worse for older subgroups in both age groups (IPI; p<0.001, p=0.001 for 50 and 60 age cut-off values, respectively. ECOG-PS; p=0.003 and p=0.006 for 50 and 60 age cut-off values, respectively). Mean ages were 44.95±15.28 and 52.14±16.09, respectively for groups IPI <2 and IPI >2 (p=0.002; t-test). There was no significant difference in the other factors between the age subgroups. CONCLUSION: The presence of similar characteristics of the patients when divided using both cut-off values with respect to PFs suggests that the cut-off age for the worsening of prognosis can be younger than 60 years in our country. The apparent difference being in IPI (even only in ECOG-PS) is in accordance with the low socioeconomic condition of the patients. It seems that prognostic factors and treatment policy in NHL would rather be revised considering our patient characteristics.