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Letters to the Editor
an follow-up of patients still alive was 31.7 months (range, 15.2-60.0). Overall, median OS was 4.1 months (95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.8-6.8) and 2-year OS was 25% (95%CI: 18%-32%) (Figure 1A). There were no significant differences in OS between the three age groups (P=0.185) (Figure 1B). The difference in OS between 71-74-year olds (7.7 months, 95%CI: 2.6-16.3) and those ≥75 years (3.9 months, 95%CI: 2.4-5.5) was also not statistically significant (P=0.08) (Online Supplementary Figure S1). OS according to primary treat- ment did show significant differences, with chemothera-
py-treated patients having a superior median OS (16.3 months 95%CI: 7.8-35.2) compared with those who received radiotherapy only (7.7 months, 95%CI: 4.6- 13.2) or supportive care only (1.4 months, 95%CI: 1.1- 1.7; P<0.001) (Figure 1C). Two-year OS was 45% (95%CI: 32-57%) in those receiving chemotherapy, whereas it was exceedingly low in the other two treat- ment groups (Figure 1C). Multivariable Cox regression analysis revealed that primary treatment was the only factor associated with OS, whereas sex, age, a prior malignancy before PCNSL diagnosis, and receiving ritux-
AB
CD
Figure 1. Overall survival (OS) among patients over 70 years of age with primary central nervous system lymphoma in the Netherlands: 2014-2017. OS is shown for the total cohort (A), and according to age at diagnosis (B), treatment group (C), and the type of therapy with methotrexate (MTX) (D). The tables below (B-D) show the median OS, and the projected 1- and 2-year OS with associated 95% confidence intervals. CI: confidence interval.
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haematologica | 2021; 106(2)