Real-world treatment patterns and clinical outcomes of patients with treatment-naïve and relapsed/refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma in the United States.

BACKGROUND

With the evolving treatment landscape and growing therapeutic options, it is essential to understand the treatments currently used in real-world clinical practice and the associated outcomes among patients with DLBCL to identify potential unmet treatment needs.

PATIENTS AND

METHODS

This retrospective longitudinal cohort study examined treatment patterns and outcomes for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) patients using the COTA electronic health records database from 2016 to 2023. The study population included 3569 patients, treated in community oncology settings, who received first-line (1L) therapy.

RESULTS

Nineteen percent of patients relapsed after 1L chemoimmunotherapy (primarily R-CHOP). The most common second-line treatments included rituximab-based regimens and autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT). Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) and CAR T-cell therapy were administered in third-line or later. Median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) decreased with each line. Relapsed/refractory real-world DLBCL patients experienced poor outcomes (24-month OS of 41.7 %). Patients receiving ASCT or CAR T-cell therapy had better OS than those who did not receive cellular therapies, with 24-month OS of 78 %, 54 %, and 31 %, respectively.

CONCLUSION

This study highlights the need for improved treatment options and increased access to novel therapies, emphasizing gaps in community oncology settings.