Association of Serum AXL and Gas6 Levels with Clinical Outcomes in Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Patients with...

To investigate the association between serum AXL, growth arrest-specific protein 6 (Gas6) levels, pathogen distribution, and prognosis in non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) patients with post-chemotherapy infection.

This single-center observational cohort study included 102 NHL patients with post-chemotherapy infection. Infection sites, pathogens, and serum levels of AXL, Gas6, and procalcitonin (PCT) were assessed. All patients were followed for one year from infection diagnosis and divided into survival (n=79) and death (n=23) groups. Baseline characteristics, pathogen detection, and serum markers were compared between groups. Cox regression analysis was used to identify prognostic factors, and receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was performed to evaluate the predictive value of serum AXL and Gas6 levels.

Among 102 patients, the most common infection site was the respiratory tract (58.82%). Of 108 isolated pathogens, Gram-positive bacteria accounted for 55.56%. Compared with the survival group, the death group had significantly higher proportions of elevated lactate dehydrogenase, International Prognostic Index (IPI) score ≥ 2, chemotherapy cycles ≥ 3, and B symptoms (all P < 0.05). Serum levels of AXL, Gas6, and PCT were also significantly higher in the death group (all P < 0.05). Multivariable Cox regression analysis identified B symptoms and elevated AXL and Gas6 as independent risk factors for poor prognosis (P < 0.05). ROC curve analysis showed that AXL and Gas6 had robust prognostic value, with sensitivities of 91.3% and 69.6%, specificities of 64.6% and 79.7%, and area under the curve (AUC) values of 0.829 and 0.820, respectively.

In this exploratory study, elevated serum AXL and Gas6 levels were associated with poor outcomes in NHL patients with post-chemotherapy infection, suggesting their potential as prognostic markers.