Expression and prognostic impact of CD73 in classical Hodgkin lymphoma

Relapsed or refractory classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) remains a clinical challenge, underscoring the need for early identification of high-risk patients to guide treatment stratification. CD73, an ectoenzyme involved in adenosine production, plays a key role in immunosuppression and tumor progression. While elevated CD73 expression has been linked to poor prognosis in many cancers, its role in cHL has not been fully elucidated. In this retrospective case-control study, we evaluated the baseline expression of CD73, CD39, and PD-L1 in newly diagnosed cHL patients and explored their association with treatment outcomes. A total of 84 patients were followed after first-line therapy and retrospectively categorized into a relapsed/refractory (r/r) group (n = 47) and a non-r/r group (n = 37). CD73 expression was significantly lower in the r/r group compared to the non-r/r group. Patients with low CD73 expression had inferior complete response rates and shorter progression-free survival (PFS). On multivariate analysis, low CD73 expression remained an independent adverse prognostic factor for PFS (hazard ratio: 3.321, 95% CI: 1.384–7.967). These findings suggest that baseline CD73 expression may serve as a prognostic biomarker for relapse risk and long-term outcomes in cHL, with potential implications for individualized treatment strategies.