AST/ALT (De ritis) Ratio As a Prognostic Factor in Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma

Purpose: This study aims to evaluate the prognostic significance of the aspartate aminotransferase (AST) / alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (De Ritis) ratio in diffuse large b-cell lymphoma ( DLBCL). Material and Method: This retrospective study analyzed newly diagnosed DLBCL patients between December 2003- November 2016 in our hospital. We used the university archive to analyze patient information. De Ritis ratio were calculated using data from the blood samples at the time of diagnosis. We analyzed the effect of the De Ritis ratio on the overall survival (OS) of 225 patients with DLBCL. Results: The mean age of the patients was 60.3(18–95) years, and 57.7 % of them were males. We performed ROC curve analysis to calculate optimal cut off points for the De Ritis ratio at the time of diagnosed. The median De Ritis ratio was 1.30( range 0,26 - 5,84 ). Based on the cutoff points for the De Ritis ratio, patients were separated in two groups: high De Ritis ratio group ( ≥1.30, n: 101 ) and low De Ritis ratio group ( <1.30, n:154 ) ( with sensitivity of 59%, specifity of 40%). We found a significant relationship between OS and De Ritis ratio. In Kaplan Meier analyses, the group with a higher De Ritis ratio had a more unfavorable prognosis for OS ( p=0.027). Conclusion: The De Ritis ratio may provide a cost- effective and sustainable marker for DLBCL patients. A higher De Ritis ratio can be considered as an independent prognostic factor in DLBCL patients.