Long-term outcomes and patterns of relapse of early-stage extranodal marginal zone lymphoma treated with radiation therapy with curative intent

Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2015 May 1;92(1):130-7. doi: 10.1016/j.ijrobp.2015.01.040.

Abstract

Purpose: To report the long-term outcome and patterns of relapse of a large cohort of marginal zone lymphoma (MZL) patients treated with curative-intent radiation therapy (RT) alone.

Patients and methods: We reviewed the charts of 490 consecutive patients with stage IE or IIE MZL referred between 1992 and 2012 to our institution. Of those, 244 patients (50%) were treated with RT alone. Pathology was confirmed by hematopathologists at our institution. Patient and disease factors were analyzed for association with relapse-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS).

Results: Median age of the cohort was 59 years, and median follow-up was 5.2 years. Ann Arbor stage was IE in 92%. Most common disease sites were stomach (50%), orbit (18%), non-thyroid head-and-neck (8%), skin (8%), and breast (5%). Median RT dose was 30 Gy. Five-year OS and RFS were 92% and 74%, respectively. Cumulative incidence of disease-specific death was just 1.1% by 5 years. Sixty patients (24%) developed relapse of disease; 10 were in the RT field. Crude rate of transformation to pathologically confirmed large-cell lymphoma was 1.6%. On multivariable analysis, primary disease site (P=.007) was independently associated with RFS, along with age (P=.04), presence of B-symptoms (P=.02), and International Prognostic Index risk group (P=.03). All disease sites except for head-and-neck had worse RFS relative to stomach.

Conclusion: Overall and cause-specific survival are high in early-stage extra-nodal MZL treated with curative RT alone. In this large cohort of 244 patients, most patients did not experience relapse of MZL after curative RT; when relapses did occur, the majority were in distant sites. Stomach cases were less likely to relapse than other anatomic sites. Transformation to large-cell lymphoma was rare.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Age Factors
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Breast Neoplasms / mortality
  • Breast Neoplasms / pathology
  • Breast Neoplasms / radiotherapy
  • Cause of Death
  • Disease-Free Survival
  • Female
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Head and Neck Neoplasms / mortality
  • Head and Neck Neoplasms / pathology
  • Head and Neck Neoplasms / radiotherapy
  • Humans
  • Lymphoma, B-Cell, Marginal Zone / mortality*
  • Lymphoma, B-Cell, Marginal Zone / pathology
  • Lymphoma, B-Cell, Marginal Zone / radiotherapy*
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Neoplasms, Radiation-Induced
  • Neoplasms, Second Primary / etiology
  • Orbital Neoplasms / mortality
  • Orbital Neoplasms / pathology
  • Orbital Neoplasms / radiotherapy
  • Recurrence
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Skin Neoplasms / mortality
  • Skin Neoplasms / pathology
  • Skin Neoplasms / radiotherapy
  • Stomach Neoplasms / mortality
  • Stomach Neoplasms / pathology
  • Stomach Neoplasms / radiotherapy
  • Treatment Outcome