Socioeconomic deprivation does not affect survival outcomes in patients with mantle cell lymphoma: evidence from a German nationwide study

Socioeconomic status (SES) is well recognized as an important determinant of cancer incidence and survival. However, its impact on outcomes in patients with mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) remains poorly characterized. We conducted a nationwide, population-based retrospective longitudinal study using German cancer registry data, including all patients diagnosed with MCL between 2013 and 2023. Regional SES was assessed annually at the district level using quintiles of the German Index of Socioeconomic Deprivation. The primary outcomes were 5-year absolute survival (AS) and relative survival (RS) as a proxy for disease-specific survival. A total of 8871 patients were included. Five-year AS and RS were 62.6% (95% CI, 61.5-63.7) and 72.1% (95% CI, 70.8-73.4), respectively. However, no meaningful differences in AS were observed between patients residing in districts of the lowest and highest SES quintiles (62.0% vs 63.1%). This nationwide population-based study indicates that regional socioeconomic deprivation was not associated with clinically relevant differences in survival outcomes among MCL patients in Germany between 2013 and 2023. These findings differ from previously described patterns in other lymphomas, suggesting that biological disease characteristics may exert a stronger influence on MCL survival than social determinants.