Outcome and prognostic factors of very old patients with primary CNS lymphoma: a retrospective analysis of patients ≥80 years treated with high-dose methotrexate-based chemotherapy

Although >10% of primary CNS lymphoma (PCNSL) patients are ≥80 years, data on this population are limited. We analyzed 19 consecutive octogenarians with PCNSL treated with high-dose methotrexate (HD-MTX)-based chemotherapy at our institution concerning outcome, prognostic factors and living conditions at six-month follow-up for 11 patients alive and in remission. Seven patients received intracerebroventricular (ICV) treatment additional to systemic therapy. Median follow-up was 27.3 months. Median overall survival was 16.3 months. Positive prognosticators of survival were application of ICV treatment (p = 0.033) and female gender (p = 0.015). All 11 patients alive and in remission at 6-month follow-up were living at home with a median Karnofsky performance score of 60 (range 50-90) and a median instrumental activities of daily living score of 3 (range 1-8). HD-MTX-based polychemotherapy including ICV treatment was feasible in this population, patients in remission needed moderate support in everyday live.