Characteristics and Outcomes of Primary Central Nervous System Lymphoma: A Retrospective Study of 91 Cases in a Chinese Population

Survival outcomes and treatment experience of 124 patients with primary central nervous system lymphoma

PURPOSE

Primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) is a rare malignancy of the central nervous system with high invasiveness. There is little consensus on the treatment of PCNSL. This study retrospectively studied data from PCNSL patients in a single center to summarize treatment experience and explore prognostic factors.

METHODS

Survival curves were drawn using the Kaplan-Meier method and prognostic factors were analyzed using Cox's hazards model.

RESULTS

In multivariate analysis, cerebrospinal fluid lactic acid dehydrogenase (CSF LDH; p = 0.005 and p = 0.002), neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR; p = 0.014 and p = 0.038), and completion of four cycles of induction therapy (p < 0.001and p < 0.001) were significant and independent predictors of overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS), respectively.

CONCLUSION

On the basis of this study, we propose that PCNSL patients should receive early induction therapy with sufficient cycles. Subsequent consolidation therapy can prevent relapses and improve survival. In patients with PCNSL, the independent prognostic factors for OS and PFS were CSF LDH level, NLR, and full cycles of induction therapy.

Case report: Successful treatment of a patient with relapsed/refractory primary central nervous system lymphoma with thiotepa-based induction, autologous stem cell transplantation and maintenance

Despite significant improvements in prognosis, a subset of patients with primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) remains at high risk for relapse. The treatment of relapsed and refractory (R/R) PCNSL remains a major clinical challenge. Herein, we present a 24-year-old patient with PCNSL who relapsed 4 years after initial diagnosis and subsequently became refractory to high-dose methotrexate (HD-MTX), temozolomide, whole brain radiation therapy (WBRT), ibrutinib, and lenalidomide. She received thiotepa with anti-programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) antibody and achieved partial remission and then underwent autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) with thiotepa-based conditioning. Post-transplant maintenance with thiotepa and anti-PD-1 at 3-month intervals resulted in a durable complete response (CR) in this case of R/R PCNSL. Our report highlights the important role of thiotepa in the treatment of patients with R/R PCNSL.

Primary meningeal central nervous system lymphoma: A case report and literature review

RATIONALE

Primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) is a rare extranodal non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and isolated meningeal PCNSL, without evidence of parenchymal involvement, is even less common, occurring in only 10% to 15% of cases.

PATIENT CONCERNS

A 65-years-old female presented to our hospital with progressive lower extremity motor dysfunction and blurred vision. The initial neurological examination revealed decreased muscle strength in both lower extremities and sensory dysfunction of lower extremities, saddle area, and buttocks. Brain magnetic resonance imaging showed no abnormalities. Lumbar enhanced magnetic resonance imaging showed T11 to L3 horizontal meningeal enhancement. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cytology revealed lymphoma cells. Immunohistochemistry and flow cytometry of the CSF were performed as auxiliary methods to establish the diagnosis of lymphoma.

DIAGNOSES

The patient was diagnosed primary meningeal central nervous system lymphoma.

INTERVENTIONS

During hospitalization, the patient was treated with 2 courses of high-dose intrathecal methotrexate and rituximab combined with intrathecal chemotherapy and supportive treatment.

OUTCOMES

After 2 years of follow-up, the patient was able to walk and take care of herself.

LESSONS

Cases of PCNSL involving only the meninges are rare. Multimodal analysis of the CSF comprises an important component of the diagnostic work-up for patients with primary meningeal central nervous system lymphoma.

Ibrutinib in Refractory or Relapsing Primary Central Nervous System Lymphoma: A Systematic Review

Primary Central Nervous System Lymphoma (PCNSL) is a rare variant of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL) representing 1–2% of all NHL cases. PCNSL is defined as a lymphoma that occurs in the brain, spinal cord, leptomeninges, or eyes. Efforts to treat PCNSL by traditional chemotherapy and radiotherapy have generally been unsuccessful as a significant proportion of patients have frequent relapses or are refractory to treatment. The prognosis of patients with Refractory or Relapsed (R/R) PCNSL is abysmal. The optimal treatment for R/R PCNSL is poorly defined as there are only a limited number of studies in this setting. Several studies have recently shown that ibrutinib, a Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor, has promising results in the treatment of R/R PCNSL. However, these are preliminary studies with a limited sample size. In this systematic review, we explored and critically appraised the evidence about the efficacy of the novel agent ibrutinib in treating R/R PCNSL.

Relapsed Primary Central Nervous System Lymphoma: Current Advances

Primary central nervous system lymphoma is an invasive malignant lymphoma confined to the central nervous system. Although patients undergoing first-line treatment can achieve complete response, most of them still relapse within two years. Relapsed lymphoma is derived from occult lymphoma cells, and B cell receptor pathway activation and immune escape are the key mechanisms for the pathogenesis of PCNSL. Most relapses are in the central nervous system, a small number of relapses are isolated systemic relapses, and clinical symptoms occur early and vary. Current treatments for relapse include high-dose methotrexate rechallenge and other regimens of chemotherapy, whole-brain radiation therapy, hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation, targeted therapy and immunotherapy, which have become promising treatments. The overall prognosis of relapsed PCNSL is very poor, although it is affected by many factors. This article summarizes the mechanisms, related factors, clinical features, follow-up, treatment and prognosis of relapsed primary central nervous system lymphoma.

Clinical outcomes of newly diagnosed primary CNS lymphoma treated with ibrutinib-based combination therapy: A real-world experience of off-label ibrutinib use

Ibrutinib‐based combination therapy with high‐dose methotrexate (HD‐MTX) has recently shown clinical activity against relapse/refractory (R/R) primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL). Herein, we report our real‐world experience of treating 11 newly diagnosed PCNSL patients with the ibrutinib/MTX combination. HD‐MTX was given at 3.5 g/m² every 2‐week for eight doses. Ibrutinib was held upon HD‐MTX infusion until clearance and was administered daily post‐induction until disease progression, intolerable toxicity, or death. Nine out of 11 patients completed the induction phase and received ibrutinib as maintenance therapy. An objective response rate (ORR) of 82% (9/11) was observed including complete response (64%) and partial response (18%). The median progression‐free survival (PFS) was 7.4 months while the median overall survival (OS) was not reached. The ibrutinib/MTX combination was well tolerated in these treatment‐naïve PCNSL patients with an acceptable safety profile. Moreover, the longitudinal analysis of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) revealed that CSF ctDNA detection was closely associated with tumor response, and sustained tumor responses correlated with the clearance of ctDNA from the CSF. In sum, our data not only demonstrated the clinical benefit of the ibrutinib and HD‐MTX combination regimen in treating newly diagnosed PCNSL patients in a real‐world setting, but also highlighted the significance of liquid biopsy including CSF ctDNA in tracing tumor burden and assessing treatment response.