Heat production rate in blood lymphocytes as a prognostic factor in non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma

Abstract: The heat production rate in peripheral blood lymphocytes was evaluated by direct calorimetry in 76 untreated adults with non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). Elevated values were recorded for 20 out of 54 patients with lymphomas of high or intermediate malignancy grade (37%) and for 1 out of 22 patients (5%) with low grade lymphomas (p = 0.01). Median survival was 39 months for patients with normal values and 8.5 months for those with elevated values (p = 0.005). In a subgroup of 38 patients with high or intermediate grade NHL stage III‐IV, 17 patients with abnormally high lymphocyte heat production rates had a significantly shorter survival than 21 patients with normal values (p = 0.01). In a multivariate analysis the prognostic impact of lymphocyte heat production was superior to histologic malignancy grade, clinical stage and age.