Survival of U.S. Military Service Members With Lymphoma

Cancer is a prominent cause of mortality in today's active duty service members (ADSMs), killing over 700 ADSMs between 2004 and 2015. Hence, more research is needed to better understand the survival of U.S. service members with cancer. Lymphoma is the most common hematologic malignancy diagnosed in ADSMs, serving as a good cancer type to study.

The Department of Defense tumor registry and the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Result (SEER) databases were retrospectively accessed to analyze overall survival (OS) of ADSMs with lymphoma and to compare outcomes with matched civilians. ADSMs with Hodgkin lymphoma (HL), diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), and indolent lymphoma diagnosed between 1997 and 2017 were included, and SEER comparator patients were matched by age, sex, race, stage, and year of diagnosis using a 4:1 ratio of civilians to ADSMs.

There were 1,170, 443, and 284 ADSMs with HL, DLBCL, and indolent lymphoma, respectively, and all three groups had superior OS when compared to their matched civilian counterparts with 35%, 49%, and 48% reductions in the risk of death, respectively. There were no differences in ADSM survival based on race, sex, or rank, despite disparities being pervasive in the civilian sector.

Service members with lymphoma have superior survival than their matched civilian counterparts, without evident racial or sex disparities. Results of this study are favorable in terms of readiness. Further research on cancer mortality in ADSMs is needed to improve long-term outcomes.