ABO Blood Group and the Risk and Prognosis of Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma

Our previous research had demonstrated that there might exist a certain correlation between ABO blood group and lymphoma. This study aimed to investigate the influence of ABO blood group in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL).

We retrospectively analyzed clinical data of 220 patients with newly diagnosed DLBCL. Chi-square test and Cox proportional hazard models were used to examine the association between ABO blood type and both the risk and prognosis of DLBCL.

In females, individuals who had blood type AB exhibited a higher propensity for developing DLBCL in comparison to those with blood type B (P=0.005). Notably, among DLBCL patients who were over the age of 60 years, those who had blood type B had significantly shorter 3-year overall survival (OS) compared to patients with non-B blood types (P=0.030). Conversely, among DLBCL patients aged 60 years or younger, no significant disparity in OS was observed between those with blood type B and non-B blood types (P= 0.196). Both univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were conducted on DLBCL patients who were over 60 years old. These analyses revealed that having blood type B served as a negative prognostic factor for this subset of patients.

Females with blood type B may have a lower risk of developing DLBCL compared to females with blood type AB. For DLBCL patients older than 60 years, blood type B may be considered a poor prognostic factor.