Association of minimal residual disease levels with clinical outcomes in patients with mantle cell lymphoma: A meta-analysis

Some studies have elucidated that Minimal residual disease (MRD) in patient with Mantle Cell Lymphoma (MCL) was a significant prognostic factor, with potential value in assessing overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). However, most studies were widely varied in included population, sample sources and MRD detection time points. Some studies even have conflicting results. In view of this, a meta-analysis was performed to evaluate association of MRD levels with clinical outcomes in patients with MCL. We identified 7 included articles, which were published in recent 20 years. Then, we extracted or calculated hazard ratios (HRs) and their 95 % confidence intervals (CIs). Our results reveal that patients with MRD negativity have improved OS (HR = 0.63; 95 % CI: 0.50-0.79) and PFS (HR = 0.40, 95 % CI: 0.21-0.76), comparing with patients with MRD positivity. There are also consistent results in subgroups based on sample sources and MRD detection time points. Our study also demonstrates that MRD level is a strong prognostic factor of clinical outcomes. Thus, MRD is expected to be an effective clinical indicator for assessing prognosis and guide treatment decisions in MCL patients.

Automated summary

Studies have shown that MRD negativity in MCL patients is associated with improved overall survival and progression-free survival compared to MRD positivity. Consistent results were found across different subgroups based on sample sources and MRD detection time points.