Patient-reported outcomes provide prognostic information for survival in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma: Analysis of 1239 patients from the GOYA study

Purpose: We investigated the prognostic value of pretreatment patient-reported outcomes (PROs) in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) receiving obinutuzumab/rituximab plus chemotherapy in the GOYA phase III study.

Methods: Patients completed the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life (EORTC QLQ-C30) and the Functional assessment of chronic illness therapy-Lymphoma (FACT-Lym) lymphoma subscale (LYMS) during the study. PRO scales with high prognostic value were identified through Cox regression analyses of overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). These scales were evaluated in terms of their additional prognostic value beyond the International Prognostic Index (IPI). A preliminary assessment was performed to evaluate whether the scales provided improved patient-risk stratification beyond IPI.

Results: One thousand two hundred and fifty-nine patients with valid pretreatment PRO scales were included in the analyses, and complete pretreatment data were available for 1239/1414 patients (87.6%). Four PRO scales with high prognostic value were identified: FACT-Lym LYMS and EORTC QLQ-C30 physical functioning, global health status/quality of life (QoL), and fatigue. All four scales retained significant prognostic value for OS and PFS after IPI adjustment (all p < 0.05). After adjusting for multiple clinical variables (IPI, cell of origin, BCL2 status, and total metabolic tumor volume), all four scales retained significant prognostic value (all p < 0.05) for OS. Only the EORTC QLQ-C30 physical functioning scale was significant (p < 0.05) for PFS after adjustment for multiple clinical variables.

Conclusions: In this large population of patients with DLBCL, pretreatment PROs provided prognostic information for OS and PFS beyond the well-established IPI.