Characteristics and Outcome Among 116 Patients with HIV Associated Lymphoma Included in the French ANRS CO16 Lymphovir Cohort Study.

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection is associated with an increased risk of Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) and B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). Increased risk of NHL is strongly correlated to the severity of the underlying immunodeficiency. Introduction of combined antiretroviral therapy (cART) has reduced the incidence of NHL -but not of HL's- among HIV-infected individuals. Outcomes are reported to be poorer among HIV-infected patients with HL or NHL than among non-HIV-infected patients. We carry out a cohort with the aim to study the characteristics and outcome of HIV-related lymphomas.

The multicentric prospective Cohort of HIV related lymphomas (ANRS-CO16 Lymphovir cohort) enrolled 116 adult patients in 32 centers between October 2007 and April 2012. Investigations were performed after approval of the ethic committee. Patients were included at diagnosis of lymphoma (n=108) or at first relapse (1 HL, 7 NHL). Data collection concerned HIV infection history, clinical, biological and histological presentation, treatment and evolution of lymphoma. Pathological materials were centralized and 91 cases were reviewed. Diagnoses were based on World Health Organization criteria. Each patient was followed every 6 months during 5 years.

Among the 116 patients, 39.7% (46) were diagnosed with HL and 60.3% (70) with NHL. Median age was 43.5 years (ranging from 20 to 61) among patients with HL and 47 years (23 to 67) among those with NHL. Gender (male/female) ratio was 8.2 (41/5) among patients with HL, 1.7 (44/26) among those with NHL. The histological distribution of NHL were diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) 54.3% (38), Burkitt lymphomas (BL) 18.6% (13), plasmablastic lymphoma 10% (7), marginal zone/lymphoplasmocytic lymphoma 7.1% (5), others 10%: PTLD- like lymphoma (2), primary effusion lymphoma (1), follicular lymphoma (1), anaplastic lymphoma (1), unclassified (2). There was a predominance of clinical stages III/IV versus I/II among HL (76.7%, 33/43) and NHL patients (73.5%, 50/68). Among patients with DLBCL, LDH level was elevated in 68.4% (26/38) and performance status altered (2–4 versus 0–1) in 38.5% (15/39).

HIV infection had been diagnosed for a median of 151 months (0 to 312) among HL patients and 117 (0 to 327) among those with NHL. The interval between diagnoses of HIV infection and lymphoma was shorter than 3 months for 2 patients with HL and 13 with NHL. All other patients except 6 NHL patients had been treated with ART at diagnosis of lymphoma. Median durations of ARV were 128 months (2 to 238) among HL patients and 119 months (1 to 236) among those with NHL. Patients with HL had a median CD4 T-cell count at diagnosis of lymphoma of 353/mm³ (range 37–1120), those with NHL, 261/mm³ (range 7–1322)].

The median interval between lymphoma occurrence and last follow-up was 21 months (range 0–41). During follow-up, all patients were treated with ARV. Among first-line HL patients, 39 out of 40 were treated with ABVD. Out of 40 patients with DLBCL or BL, 30 received chemotherapies combined with rituximab. At 24 months, overall survival is 95% among patients with HL and 78% among those with NHL (Figure 1). Two HL patients died during follow-up: one HL patient included in relapse from progression, another from a second cancer. Sixteen NHL patients died during follow-up: there were 10 early deaths (<6 months) from complications of treatment (9) or disease progression (1) and 6 later deaths from disease progression (4), second cancer (1), unknown (1). None of the patients who died during the first 6 months following diagnosis had received rituximab.

The present study points out the high proportion of HL among HIV infection with lymphoma in the cART era and their favourable outcome compared to previous reports. This study also strengthens the heterogeneity of HIV-related lymphomas and the frequency of early deaths among patients with NHL.

Figure 1.

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Overall survival of patients with Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) and non Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) included in the Lymphovir ANRS-CO16 cohort

Figure 1.

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Overall survival of patients with Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) and non Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) included in the Lymphovir ANRS-CO16 cohort

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No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.