ABO Blood Group and the Risk and Prognosis of Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma.

Background: Our previous research had demonstrated that there might exist a certain correlation between ABO blood group and lymphoma. This study aimed to investigate the influence of ABO blood group in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL).

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed clinical data of 220 patients with newly diagnosed DLBCL. Chi-square test and Cox proportional hazard models were used to examine the association between ABO blood type and both the risk and prognosis of DLBCL.

Results: In females, individuals who had blood type AB exhibited a higher propensity for developing DLBCL in comparison to those with blood type B (P=0.005). Notably, among DLBCL patients who were over the age of 60 years, those who had blood type B had significantly shorter 3-year overall survival (OS) compared to patients with non-B blood types (P=0.030). Conversely, among DLBCL patients aged 60 years or younger, no significant disparity in OS was observed between those with blood type B and non-B blood types (P= 0.196). Both univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were conducted on DLBCL patients who were over 60 years old. These analyses revealed that having blood type B served as a negative prognostic factor for this subset of patients.

Conclusion: Females with blood type B may have a lower risk of developing DLBCL compared to females with blood type AB. For DLBCL patients older than 60 years, blood type B may be considered a poor prognostic factor.