https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1506-4870
Key Points
For primary CNS lymphoma, progression-free survival was favorable with reduced-dose whole-brain radiotherapy (RD-WBRT) consolidation.
RD-WBRT can be more frequently considered for consolidation in lieu of non-myeloablative chemotherapy.
Consolidation strategies for primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) after induction chemoimmunotherapy include whole-brain radiotherapy (≤24Gy reduced-dose [RD], >24Gy standard-dose [SD] WBRT) and cytarabine, non-myeloablative chemotherapy (NMC), or autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation (AHCT); however, comparative outcomes are lacking. PCNSL outcomes from 1983-2020 were stratified by decade and MSKCC recursive partitioning analysis (RPA) class. Clinicodemographic associations with consolidation were analyzed by multinomial logistic regression. Progression-free (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were analyzed by proportional hazards from consolidation. Of 559 patients, 385 (69%) were consolidated. Median follow-up and OS were 7.4 and 5.7 years, respectively. WBRT use declined (61% in 1990s vs. 12% in 2010s), while AHCT (4% in 1990s vs. 32% in 2010s) and NMC (27% in 1990s vs. 52% in 2010s) rose. Compared to RPA 1 (age<50), RPA 2 (age≥50, KPS≥70) was more likely to receive NMC. Those with partial response to induction were less likely to receive AHCT (OR 0.36, p=0.02). Among 351 with complete response to consolidation, only receipt of R-MPV induction was associated with improved PFS (HR 0.5, p=0.006). Among RPA 1, median PFS and OS were not reached for AHCT or RD-WBRT, vs. 2.5 and 13.0 years, respectively, after NMC. Among RPA class 3 (KPS<70), median PFS and OS post-RD-WBRT were 4.6 and 10 years, respectively, vs. 1.7 and 4.4 years post-NMC. No significant adjusted survival differences were seen across consolidation strategies. NMC is increasingly used in lieu of RD-WBRT despite a trend toward less favorable PFS. RD-WBRT can be considered in patients ineligible for AHCT.
