Although patients with peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL) with primary refractory disease or early relapse experience extremely poor survival, those who remain in remission 2 years after they are diagnosed tend to survive longer, researchers concluded after conducting a study involving 775 individuals. Participants were treated for newly diagnosed PTCL between 2000 and 2012 at a median 64 years of age. Investigators looked at event-free and overall survival. Among the results:

• 64% of patients experienced disease progression within the first 24 months and had a median overall survival of ~5 months (5-year survival rate of 11%).
• Median overall survival after achieving event-free survival at 24 months was not reached (5-year survival rate of 78%).
• Nearly one-fourth of patients who achieved event-free survival at 24 months relapsed within 5 years.
• Overall survival rate in patients ≤60 years of age who achieved event-free survival at 24 months was 91%.