A Retrospective Cohort Study to Evaluate the Outcomes of HIV-Associated High-Grade B-Cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL) Treated with Dose Adjusted EPOCH (+/−R) Regimen

High-grade B-cell NHL’s are more common in seropositive patients. They are biologically different from their seronegative counterparts. We report our analysis on our cohort of patients who were treated with DA-EPOCH(+/−R). We retrospectively analyzed treatment-naïve HIV-associated High-grade B-cell NHL patients (aged ≥ 18) treated with DA-EPOCH(+/−R) regimen from 2011 to 2015. Descriptive statistics were summarized with median and range; survival outcomes were analyzed with Kaplan–Meier method. The cohort comprised of 40 patients [DLBCL(19), Burkitt’s Lymphoma(16), High-grade B-Cell Lymphoma-Unclassifiable(09), and Plasmablastic Lymphoma(01)] and the median CD4 + T cell count was 202/mm³. CNS prophylaxis was administered with intrathecal methotrexate to 90% of patients. With a median follow-up of 72 months, an estimated 5-year OS was 82.5%, and 5-PFS was 77.5%. There were 9 deaths, and 9 patients had progression. At least 4 cycles of chemotherapy were administered to 35 (93%) patients, with 28 (70%) receiving 6 cycles. Grade 3–4 toxicities were seen in 33 (83%) patients- febrile neutropenia (65%) being the most common followed by mucositis (25%) and peripheral neuropathy (13%). There was no difference in survival based on IPI, CD 4 + T cell count, CDI, or duration of HIV. DA-EPOCH(+/−R) is a highly effective regimen in seropositive high-grade B-cell lymphoma, even in the presence of adverse features.