Real-world efficacy of Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitor based maintenance therapy in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma: a multicenter retrospective cohort study with external historical control

INTRODUCTION: The selection of an optimal maintenance agent in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) continues to pose a significant clinical challenge. This study aims to evaluate the prognostic impact of maintenance therapy (MT) in DLBCL. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis of data from DLBCL patients undergoing first-line MT at four hospitals in Beijing between January 2019 and August 2024. The REMoDL-B trial database was selected as the control group. RESULTS: = 0.024). Despite 43.6% of patients being at high risk for central nervous system (CNS), no CNS recurrences were observed. The PFS of the MCD subtype is better than that of the A53 subtype. CONCLUSIONS: While limited by the retrospective study, our analysis raises the hypothesis that MT may correlate with improved DLBCL outcomes. A similar trend suggesting potential benefit from BTKi maintenance was noted, meriting further investigation in controlled settings.