CHOP is insufficient for newly-diagnosed subcutaneous panniculitis-like T-cell lymphoma patients: a retrospective study of 32 patients in China

Subcutaneous panniculitis-like T-cell lymphoma (SPTCL) is a rare subtype of cutaneous lymphoma, and the standard of care for SPTCL has not been well-defined. This retrospective study analyzed the efficacy of the CHOP-regimen in newly-diagnosed SPTCL patients in China. The study reviewed 32 SPTCL patients treated at Peking Union Medical College Hospital over the last two decades. The median age of these patients was 27 years. Among them, 56.3% were female. Sixteen patients had a PIT score ≥ 2, and 28.1% patients had concurrent hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis. Histopathology typically showed a lobular panniculitis with individual adipocytes surrounded by atypical lymphocytes, usually with a CD3⁺, CD4^-, CD8⁺, CD56^- phenotype. Twenty-eight patients (87.5%) received CHOP-like regimen as the first-line treatment. The ORR and CR rate of induction therapy were only 42.9% and 35.7%, respectively. The median PFS and OS were 3.2 months and 147.5 months. Factors, concurrent HLH and PIT ≥ 2, were indicators of shorter PFS in univariate analysis. This study showed that CHOP-like regimen was inadequate as a first-line treatment for SPTCL, emphasizing the need for alternative therapeutic strategies.