Repeat biopsy in relapsed or refractory diffuse large B cell lymphoma: a nationwide survey and retrospective study

Tamar Berger*, Karyn Revital Geiger, Moshe Yeshurun, Anat Gafter‑Gvili, Tzippy Shochat, Ronit Gurion, Pia Raanani, Oren Pasvolsky

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Almost half of patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) have relapsed/refractory (R/R) disease after frontline immunochemotherapy. Although guidelines recommend histological confirmation of R/R disease, repeat biopsies are not always performed. We conducted a two-part study: a nationwide case-vignette survey among treating hematologists, and a single center retrospective analysis. In the survey part, all 64 participating physicians opted not to perform a repeat biopsy in at least one scenario, more often in refractory cases. In the retrospective part, 116 episodes of R/R aNHL among 61 patients were identified. Repeat biopsy was not performed in 72%, more often in refractory episodes, mostly due to low likelihood of alternative diagnoses or problematic location for biopsy. Our study suggests that many patients do not undergo repeat biopsy in R/R DLBCL, especially in refractory cases. Future studies and recommendations should address the necessity of repeat biopsy, according to patient and disease related characteristics.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)2461-2468
Number of pages8
JournalLeukemia and Lymphoma
Volume63
Issue number10
DOIs
StatePublished - 2022

Keywords

  • Diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL)
  • biopsy
  • diagnosis
  • refractory
  • relapsed

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