Noaman KHAN, Bilal AHMAD, Abdur REHMAN, Sameed AHMAD, Sadeeq KHAN
We have read with great interest the article by Buruiana et al. in Documenta Haematologica titled “Antiphospholipid Antibodies in Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.” This prospective, descriptive cross-sectional study analyzed 161 de novo NHL patients from the Republic of Moldova, exploring the prevalence and significance of antiphospholipid antibodies (aCL, anti-β2GPI, and LA) in relation to lymphoma subtype, stage, age, and disease onset. The authors report a 16.2% seropositivity rate, with a trend toward antibody negativity following first-line treatment. These findings contribute to the growing literature on immune dysregulation and thrombophilic states in hematological malignancies, especially B-cell NHL [1].
While the study provides useful information, it has significant methodological shortcomings that deserve to be addressed constructively. First, no sample size or power estimate was supplied. Bacchetti emphasizes that a lack of statistical power rationale can compromise confidence of clinical findings, particularly when dealing with subgroups or unusual outcomes. [2]. Secondly, while the authors stratify the results by demographic and clinical characteristics, they only use basic statistical comparisons (for example, chi-square tests). The lack of multivariate regression limits the capacity to adjust for potential confounders like age or NHL subtype, which may mask authentic correlations. [3].
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