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Background: The impact of patient body habitus and sex on outcomes in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) remains controversial. We investigated the impact of body mass index (BMI), body surface area (BSA), age, and sex on clinical outcomes in patients with DLBCL treated in the rituximab era. Patients and Methods: Patients with de novo DLBCL (n=1,386) diagnosed between June 2000 and December 2010 treated with rituximab-containing chemotherapy were identified from the NCCN Oncology Outcomes Database for Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) at 3 years were analyzed based on sex, age, and baseline BMI/BSA. Results: High BMI was associated with a lower risk of disease progression or death than low or normal BMI, whereas male sex was associated with poor clinical outcomes, especially among elderly patients (age >60 years). Compared with elderly women, elderly men experienced worse PFS (3-year hazard ratio [HR], 1.5) and OS (3-year HR, 1.6), but these differences diminished with increases in BMI and BSA. In multivariable analysis, normal BMI compared with high BMI was independently associated with poor outcomes (3-year PFS HR, 1.5; OS HR, 1.6) after adjusting for sex. Notably, only 13% of elderly men had BMI less than 25 kg/m² and only 26% had BSA less than 2 m². Conclusions: Analysis of unselected patients with DLBCL treated with rituximab-containing chemotherapy confirmed an age-dependent disadvantage to male sex in treatment outcomes, but this effect is abrogated by higher levels of BMI and BSA in most North American men.

Diffuse large B-cell lymphomas (DLBCL) are now considered a heterogeneous group of distinct molecular subtypes (germinal center B-cell DLBCL, activated B-cell DLBCL, and primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma (PMBL) with varied natural history and response to therapy. In addition, a subset of patients with DLBCL have concurrent MYC and/or BCL2 gene rearrangements (double-hit lymphomas; DHL) and others have a dual expression of both MYC and BCL2 proteins (double-expressing DLBCL; DEL). The standard of care for the treatment of patients with PMBL, DHL, or DEL has not been established. Adequate immunophenotyping and molecular testing (in selected circumstances) are necessary for the accurate diagnosis of different subtypes of DLBCL. The NCCN Guidelines included in this issue, part of the NCCN Guidelines for non-Hodgkin's lymphomas, address the diagnosis and management of DLBCL and its subtypes.

Diffuse large B-cell lymphomas (DLBCLs) and follicular lymphoma (FL) are the most common subtypes of B-cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas in adults. Histologic transformation of FL to DLBCL (TFL) occurs in approximately 15% of patients and is generally associated with a poor clinical outcome. Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitors have shown promising results in the treatment of relapsed/refractory FL. CAR T-cell therapy (axicabtagene ciloleucel and tisagenlecleucel) has emerged as a novel treatment option for relapsed/refractory DLBCL and TFL. These NCCN Guidelines Insights highlight important updates to the NCCN Guidelines for B-Cell Lymphomas regarding the treatment of TFL and relapsed/refractory FL and DLBCL.

The NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology for Hodgkin Lymphoma (HL) provide recommendations for the management of adult patients with HL. The NCCN panel meets at least annually to review comments from reviewers within their institutions, examine relevant data, and reevaluate and update their recommendations. Current management of classic HL involves initial treatment with chemotherapy alone or combined modality therapy followed by restaging with PET/CT to assess treatment response. Overall, the introduction of less toxic and more effective regimens has significantly advanced HL cure rates. This portion of the NCCN Guidelines focuses on the management of classic HL.

This portion of the NCCN Guidelines for Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) focuses on the management of classical HL. Current management of classical HL involves initial treatment with chemotherapy or combined modality therapy followed by restaging with PET/CT to assess treatment response using the Deauville criteria (5-point scale). The introduction of less toxic and more effective regimens has significantly advanced HL cure rates. However, long-term follow-up after completion of treatment is essential to determine potential long-term effects.

Peripheral T-cell lymphomas (PTCLs) represent a relatively uncommon heterogeneous group of non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (NHLs) with an aggressive clinical course and poor prognosis. Anthracycline-based multiagent chemotherapy with or without radiation therapy followed by first-line consolidation with high-dose therapy followed by autologous stem cell rescue (HDT/ASCR) is the standard approach to most of the patients with newly diagnosed PTCL. Relapsed or refractory disease is managed with second-line systemic therapy followed by HDT/ASCR or allogeneic stem cell transplant, based on the patient's eligibility for transplant. In recent years, several newer agents have shown significant activity in patients with relapsed or refractory disease across all 4 subtypes of PTCL. These NCCN Guideline Insights highlight the important updates to the NCCN Guidelines for NHL, specific to the management of patients with relapsed or refractory PTCL.

In the last decade, a better understanding of the molecular pathogenesis of B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas has resulted in the development of novel targeted therapies, such as small molecule inhibitors of select kinases in the B-cell receptor pathway, antibody–drug conjugates, and small molecules that target a variety of proteins (eg, CD-19, EZH2, and XPO-1–mediated nuclear export). Anti-CD19 CAR T-cell therapy, first approved for relapsed/refractory (R/R) diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, has also emerged as a novel treatment option for R/R follicular lymphoma and mantle cell lymphoma. These NCCN Guideline Insights highlight the new targeted therapy options included in the NCCN Guidelines for B-Cell Lymphomas for the treatment of R/R disease.

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL) are different manifestations of the same disease and managed in much the same way. The advent of novel CD20 monoclonal antibodies led to the development of effective chemoimmunotherapy regimens. More recently, small molecule inhibitors targeting kinases involved in a number of critical signaling pathways and a small molecule inhibitor of the BCL-2 family of proteins have demonstrated activity for the treatment of patients with CLL/SLL. These NCCN Guidelines Insights highlight important updates to the NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines) for CLL/SLL for the treatment of patients with newly diagnosed or relapsed/refractory CLL/SLL.

The NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology for Hodgkin Lymphoma (HL) provide recommendations for the management of adult patients with HL. The NCCN Guidelines Panel meets at least annually to review comments from reviewers within the NCCN Member Institutions, examine relevant data, and reevaluate and update the recommendations. These NCCN Guidelines Insights summarize recent updates centered on treatment considerations for relapsed/refractory classic HL.