| Characteristic | Patients affected by chemotherapy underdosing, no. (%)* n = 77 | Control group, no. (%)* n = 74 | p value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Male sex | 39 (52) | 36 (48) | 0.9 |
| Age, mean ± SD, yr | 77 ± 16 | 66 ± 14 | 0.7 |
| Age > 60 yr | 29 (37.7) | 24 (32.4) | 0.5 |
| LDH, mean ± SD | 408 ± 375 | 394 ± 50 | 0.8 |
| WBC, mean ± SD | 8.2 ± 4 | 7.5 ± 3 | 0.2 |
| Hemoglobin, g/L, mean ± SD | 117 ± 22 | 120 ± 21 | 0.4 |
| Platelets × 109/L, mean ± SD | 259 ± 175 | 253 ± 128 | 0.8 |
| Extranodal site involvement > 1 | 18 (23.4) | 18 (24.3) | 0.9 |
| Stage III/IV | 53 (68.9) | 51 (68.8) | 0.99 |
| B symptoms† | 44 (57.1) | 43 (49.4) | 0.8 |
| ECOG ≥ 2 | 33 (42.9) | 36 (49.3) | 0.4 |
| Elevated LDH | 52 (67.5) | 43 (58.1) | 0.2 |
| High risk (R-IPI score of ≥ 3) | 27 (35.1) | 28 (37.8) | 0.5 |
| CHOP-R-based chemotherapy | 71(92.2) | 68 (91.9) | 0.9 |
| Prescribed (intentional) dose reduction | 23 (30) | 25 (34.7) | 0.5 |
| Radiotherapy | 33 (42.9) | 34 (46.6) | 0.5 |
| Febrile neutropenia | 21 (27.3) | 15 (20.3) | 0.3 |
| G-CSF use | 48 (62.3) | 38 (53.5) | 0.3 |
| Progression | 19 (24.7) | 20 (27.0) | 0.7 |
| Death | 2 (2.6) | 4 (5.4) | 0.3 |
Note: CHOP-R = cyclophosphamide adriamycin, vincristine, prednisone, rituximab; ECOG = Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group, G-CSF = granulocytes colony-stimulating factor, LDH = lactate dehydrogenase, R-IPI = revised international prognostic index, WBC = white blood cells.
*Unless otherwise specified.
†Fever greater than 38°C, night sweats, unintentional weight loss of more than 10% body weight over 6 or fewer months.