Prognostic Factors in Primary Gastric non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma - a Single-Center Retrospective Analysis of 103 Cases from China

Background/Aims: There is no gold standard to treat primary gastric non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (PG-NHL). Hence, the establishment of effective prognostic factors of PG-NHL is essential for its staging and management. Methodology: We retrospectively analyzed the clinicopathological features of PG-NHL patients who had been diagnosed from 1990 through 2008 in a Chinese cancer center. Event-free survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS) were primary endpoints. Results: Estimated EFS and OS rate at 5 years were 76.0% and 78.7%, respectively. Log-rank analyses revealed OS was significantly prolonged by the following factors: age <= 60 years; histology of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma; performance status of 0-1; modified Ann Arbor stage IE or IIE1 disease; normal lactic dehydrogenase level; normal hemoglobin level; normal albumin level; International Prognostic Index of 0 or 1; tumor size <= 5cm; and less depth of invasion. Only performance status, modified Ann Arbor stage and albumin level retained their significance for EFS and OS in the multivariate analysis. Conclusions: We strongly recommend including albumin level in the management of Chinese patients. Further randomized studies with a large number of cases are needed to establish the optimal management for this disease.