Abstract
Background. Follicular lymphoma (FL) is considered incurable because remission and relapse are common. Although various salvage treatment options have been proposed, there is no consensus on treatment strategy for FL patients who failed primary treatment. Methods. This single-center study analyzed postevent overall survival (OS) among 70 patients who experienced relapse or progression after rituximab-containing immunochemotherapy according to type of salvage treatment and nature of relapse or progression. Results. Of 70 patients, 42 experienced progression of disease within 24 months (POD24), and six showed disease progression during first-line treatment. Large-cell transformation was found in nine patients with POD24. At the median follow-up of 104 months (95% CI: 90-118 months), POD24 patients experienced significantly worse OS than patients without POD24, and postevent OS was not satisfactory after conventional salvage chemotherapy because the majority of patients relapsed or progressed. However, autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) after the first relapse resulted in survival prolongation in patients with POD24. Half of the patients (34/67, 51%) participated in at least one clinical trial during treatment after first relapse, and patients participating in at least one clinical trial irrespective of line of treatment tended to experience better survival. Conclusions. Relapsed or refractory FL patients showed various clinical courses and treatment outcomes according to relapse or progression. Consolidation treatment with ASCT and active participation to clinical trials might prolong survival duration, especially in POD24 cases.