The prognostic role of red cell distribution width on all-cause and cause-specific outcomes in peripheral T-cell lymphoma: a retrospective cohort study

Readily accessible biomarkers for risk stratification in settings with limited resources are lacking. We evaluated the effect of high red distribution width-coefficient of variation (RDW-CV) values (>14%) on all-cause and lymphoma-specific mortality outcomes among 118 patients with peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL) who received systemic treatment at two tertiary centers between 2010 and 2019. With a median follow-up of 45 months, patients with a high RDW-CV had a lower 4-year overall survival rate (34% vs. 45%, p = 0.015) and higher cumulative incidence of lymphoma mortality (54% vs. 34%, p = 0.007). RDW-CV >14% was associated with all-cause (adjusted Hazard Ratio [aHR] 1.98, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.10–3.56) and lymphoma-specific mortality (aHR 2.64, 95% CI 1.32–5.29). In our study, RDW-CV emerges as an easily accessible and complementary prognostic biomarker for risk stratification among treated patients with de novo PTCL. Further research should validate the predictive role of RDW-CV in prospective cohorts.