Hypoalbuminemia as a relapse risk factor after high dose chemotherapy and autologous stem cell transplantation in patients with Hodgkin’s lymphoma

Abstract

Assessing the risk factors according to EORTC (European Organization of Research and Treatment of Cancer) or HD IPS (Hodgkin’s lymphoma International Prognostic Score) is crucial for choosing the adequate I line therapy in Hodgkin’s lymphoma patients. However, none of those scales predicts the efficacy of autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) in relapsing/refractory (R/R) patients. Progression- free survival (PFS) after ASCT corelates with the response to salvage regimens. Thirty-nine Hodgkin’s lymphoma patients transplanted at Jagiellonian University Department of Hematology with a follow-up exceeding 5 years were analyzed. Despite long time periods since the diagnosis, initial serum albumin levels seem to correlate with progression after autologous stem cell transplant and indicate high probability of relapse within 5 months following the procedure with favorable test characteristics.