Specific Features Identify Patients with Relapsed or Refractory Mantle Cell Lymphoma Benefitting from Autologous Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation

Outcomes with autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation (auto HCT) for relapsed and/or refractory mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) are typically poor. We hypothesized that certain factors could predict which patients experience a favorable outcome with this approach. We thus developed a predictive score from a cohort of 67 such patients using 3 factors independently associated with progression-free survival (PFS): (1) simplified Mantle Cell Lymphoma International Prognostic Index score before auto HCT (hazard ratio [HR], 2.9; P = .002); (2) B symptoms at diagnosis (HR, 2.7; P = .005); and (3) remission quotient, calculated by dividing the time, in months, from diagnosis to auto HCT by the number of prior treatments (HR, 1.4; P = .02). The estimated 5-year PFS for favorable-risk patients (n = 23) and unfavorable-risk patients (n = 44) were 58% (95% confidence interval [CI], 34% to 75%) and 15% (95% CI, 6% to 28%), respectively. These factors also independently predicted overall survival. In summary, we have defined 3 simple factors that can identify patients with relapsed/refractory MCL who derive a durable benefit from salvage auto HCT.