Prognostic Factors in Follicular Lymphoma

Multiple clinical features at diagnosis have been identified as having important prognostic significance in follicular lymphoma (FL). These include the five factors included in the International Prognostic Index (IPI) which was originally developed for aggressive lymphomas. Although the IPI was found to be predictive for progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) when applied to patients with advanced-stage FL, it was found to identify too few high-risk patients. The need for an index specific to FL led to the international collaborative effort resulting in the Follicular Lymphoma International Prognostic Index (FLIPI).