Association Of Prior Rituximab Exposure Among Patients Undergoing Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation For Relapsed/Refractory Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma With Inferior Outcomes In Males Compared With Females.

8055 Background: The combination of rituximab with CHOP remains the standard upfront therapy of patients (pts) with advanced diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Gender disparity in survival of pts with DLBCL appears to be significantly modified by the use of rituximab in both upfront (Ngo, 2008; Pfreundschuh, 2009; Riihijarvi, 2010) and post-transplant maintenance (CORAL trial) settings. The presence of interaction between gender and prior rituximab exposure remains unknown in pts with relapsed/refractory DLBCL undergoing autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT). Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 320 consecutive pts who underwent ASCT for relapsed/refractory DLBCL at our center from 01/1998 to 12/2010. Relapse-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) were estimated by Kaplan-Meier method and by Cox proportional hazards regression analysis in SAS 9.1 (Cary, NC). Results: Among all pts (median age=54 yrs (IQR, 45-61); 92% Caucasians) 210 (66%) were males and 110 (34%) were fem...