[The efficacy and safety of thioamide in maintenance therapy for peripheral T-cell lymphoma]

Objective: This study aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of thioamide as a maintenance therapy for peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL) . Methods: This study retrospectively analyzed the data from 58 patients with PTCL who were treated in the Department of Hematology at the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from January 2015 to July 2022. Chidamide was orally administered as a maintenance therapy after first-line or salvage treatment. Progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and safety were analyzed. Results: Among the 58 patients with PTCL, 43 were males and 15 were females, and the median age was 66 (range: 29-83) years. Thirty-nine patients received thioamide as first-line maintenance therapy, and 19 patients received thioamide as maintenance therapy after salvage treatment. The median maintenance therapy duration was 16 months (range: 1-72 months), with a median PFS time of 33 (2-74) months, and the median OS time had not been reached. Patients who received first-line maintenance therapy with thioamide demonstrated superior PFS and OS outcomes compared with patients who received thioamide maintenance therapy after salvage treatment (median PFS time: not reached vs 7 months, P<0.001; median OS time: not reached vs 67 months, P=0.009). The most prevalent adverse reaction was a hematologic adverse reaction (77.6%). Twelve (20.7%) patients underwent a dose reduction and three patients discontinued treatment. Conclusion: Patients receiving thioamide maintenance therapy demonstrated a promising PFS and OS with a manageable safety profile, especially as the first-line maintenance therapy.