Absolute monocyte count as a prognostic parameter in diffuse large B cell lymphoma

Background Prognosis of patients with Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma (DLBCL) is highly variable, and despite the use of modern immunochemotherapy regimens, almost 50% of patients will eventually relapse. Standard risk models, like the International Prognostic Index or the Revised International Prognostic Index (R_IPI) incorporate patient and tumor characteristics but do not consider variables related to host adaptive immunity which have been shown to be of significant prognostic value in non-Hodgkin lymphomas. Aim To analyze the prognostic significance of the absolute monocyte count at diagnosis in diffuse large-B-cell lymphoma in a retrospective setting. Material and Methods We reviewed data of 171 patients with DLBCL treated with Rituximab-based immunochemotherapy at two reference public Hospitals in Montevideo-Uruguay. The outcome measures were overall and relapse free survival. Results The absolute monocyte count, analyzed as a dichotomized variable predicted progression-free and overall survival in low risk patients according to the R-IPI score. Worse outcomes were observed in those with high monocyte count al diagnosis. Conclusions Absolute monocyte count could help in the identification of high-risk patients otherwise expected to have a good prognosis according to traditional scores.