Artur ANTOSEL, Cristina DUDNIC, Maria ROBU, Sanda BURUIANA, Victor TOMACINSCHII
Objectives: The addition of rituximab to CHOP chemotherapy has significantly improved outcomes in aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma (ANHL). However, data from resource-constrained healthcare systems remain limited. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes of ANHL in the Republic of Moldova.
Materials and Methods: This retrospective cohort study included 54 patients diagnosed with ANHL and treated at the Oncological Institute of Moldova between 2018 and 2022. Disease classification followed the 2022 World Health Organization criteria. Overall survival (OS) was assessed using the Kaplan–Meier method, and differences between treatment groups were evaluated using the log-rank test.
Outcomes: The median age was 57.4 years. Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma was the most frequent subtype (64.8%), followed by lymphoblastic lymphoma (29.6%). Rituximab-based regimens were associated with higher complete remission rates compared with CHOP alone. Median OS was longer in the R-CHOP group (32 months) than in the CHOP group (17 months), with a statistically significant difference (log-rank p = 0.004).
Conclusions: Rituximab-based therapy was associated with improved treatment response and survival in this cohort. These findings support the use of standard immunochemotherapy in resource-limited settings while highlighting the need to strengthen diagnostic infrastructure and access to advanced disease characterization.
Keywords: Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin; Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols; Rituximab; Survival Analysis; Moldova; Healthcare Disparities
https://doi.org/10.59854/dhrrh.2026.4.2.57
Cite this article
Antosel A., Dudnic C., Robu M., Buruiana S., Tomacinschii V., Real-World Outcomes and Morphological Patterns of Aggressive Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma in Moldova: A Five-Year Retrospective
Cohort Study. DHRRH, 2026, 6(2), https://doi.org/10.59854/dhrrh.2026.4.2.57
