Primary brainstem lymphoma: clinical characteristics, treatment methods, and prognostic factors of 56 patients
Standard chemotherapy remains effective for a rare brain lymphoma subtype previously unclear in treatment response, with age guiding which patients need intensified approaches.
The largest reported single-center cohort of primary brainstem lymphoma (n=56, all DLBCL) demonstrates that HD-MTX-based chemotherapy remains effective (70.5% ORR) in this rare and previously poorly characterized CNS lymphoma subtype, with radiotherapy as important salvage therapy. Age ≥60 is the most powerful adverse prognostic factor for both OS and PFS, informing treatment risk stratification in this high-unmet-need setting.
What the study was
- Study design
- Retrospective single-center cohort (n=56, 5-year follow-up)
- Population
- Patients diagnosed with primary brainstem lymphoma (PBSL), all DLBCL histology, age 10-77
- Sample size
- 56
- Category
- Treatment Innovation
- Maturity
- Validated
- Journal
- The Oncologist
Why it surfaced
Rare and poorly characterized CNS lymphoma variant with poor survival; largest reported cohort to date provides pragmatic treatment and prognostic data for a truly underserved population.
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