DL-ICE as a bridge to allogeneic transplantation in relapsed/refractory PTCL: survival outcomes and prognostic factors

IntroductionPeripheral T-cell lymphomas (PTCLs) have poor outcomes in the relapsed/refractory (R/R) setting. In this study, we evaluated the efficacy of dexamethasone, L-asparaginase, ifosfamide, carboplatin, and etoposide (DL-ICE) chemotherapy followed by allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) in patients with R/R PTCLs.MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed 80 adult patients with R/R PTCLs treated with DL-ICE chemotherapy between September 2009 and March 2023. Patients achieving complete or partial remission were eligible for consolidative allo-HSCT. Overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were evaluated.ResultsThe overall response rate to DL-ICE was 37.5%, with 30% achieving complete remission (CR). With a median follow-up of 96.4 months, the median OS and PFS were 8.9 and 3.8 months, respectively. Seventeen patients (21%) underwent allo-HSCT, including 11 with non-CR status. The 5-year OS was significantly higher in the allo-HSCT group compared to that in the group with chemotherapy alone (64.7% vs 18.3%, p