Survival Disparities of Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma (DLBCL) in a Community-Based Inner-City Cancer Center

Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma (DLBCL) comprises approximately 30% of all Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphomas (NHL). Multiple studies have demonstrated race-based disparities in survival among patients with DLBCL across all stages, both in the pre- and post-Rituximab era. The etiology for the racial disparities in survival among patients with DLBCL is still unknown. Moreover, the Revised International Prognostic Index (R-IPI), a tool that predicts the DLBCL patients’ outcome, has not yet been validated in African Americans (AA). We conducted a cohort study of patients diagnosed with DLBCL from January 1, 2007, to December 31, 2017, from our tumor registry in a single community-based inner-city cancer center. We abstracted demographic, clinical, histopathologic, treatment, and R-IPI variables. 181 (47.5%) patients with biopsy-proven DLBCL were included in the retrospective analysis. The median age was 65 years old, 47% were males, 41% were AA, 44% were Whites. AA had a younger median age, higher LDH levels, higher frequency of B symptoms, and higher HIV infection than non-AA group. AA group had significantly decreased median OS than non-AA group (15.7 months; 95% CI, 10.3 to 23.9, versus 93.6 months; 95% CI, 61.5 to 142.6 respectively, P