Outcome of peripheral T-cell lymphoma in first complete remission: a Danish-Swedish population-based study

In the present study, we investigate the outcome of 109 Danish and 123 Swedish patients with nodal PTCL in first complete remission (CR), and examine the impact of imaging-based follow-up (FU) strategies. The patients were selected by the following criteria: (a) newly diagnosed nodal PTCL from 2007 to 2012, (b) age ≥18 years, and (c) CR after CHOP or CHOEP therapy. FU guidelines in Sweden included symptom assessment, clinical examinations and blood tests at 3–4-month intervals for 2 years. FU strategies in Denmark was similar but included routine imaging, usually every 6 months for 2 years. Patients had fully comparable characteristics. Overall survival (OS) estimates for patients in CR were similar for all patients (p =.6) and in PTCL subtypes. In multivariate analysis, country of follow-up had no impact on OS. However, despite continuous CR for ≥2 years, the OS of PTCL remained inferior to a matched general population.