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Simple Summary: No standard treatment is defined for relapsed or refractory (r/r) primary CNS lymphoma (PCNSL). However, high-dose chemotherapy with autologous stem cell transplantation (HCT-ASCT), an efficient first line treatment in younger PCNSL patients, is commonly applied in relapsed or refractory disease, if tolerable. Here, we retrospectively analyzed 59 patients with r/r PCNSL focusing specifically on differences in long-term outcome and toxicity in patients <65 years (n = 33) and ≥65 years (n = 26) of age. High-dose chemotherapy with autologous stem cell transplantation (HCT-ASCT) is reportedly an effective treatment strategy in relapsed or refractory primary CNS lymphoma (r/r PCNSL); however, only selected patients are eligible for this treatment. We retrospectively analyzed outcome, prognostic factors, and toxicity in 59 patients with r/r PCNSL planned to receive HCT-ASCT at our institution between January 2005 and December 2021 (n = 33 < 65 years; n = 26 ≥ 65 years). Median follow-up was 65 months (95% CI 21–109). Median age was 63 years (range 29–76), median Karnofsky performance score (KPS) was 80 (range 30–100). In the entire cohort of 59 patients, median overall survival (OS) was 14 months (95% CI 0–37). In 50/59 (84.7%) patients who completed HCT-ASCT, median progression free survival (PFS) was 12 months (95% CI 3–21) and median OS 30 months (95% CI 0–87). 1-year, 2-year, and 5-year OS rates of 61.2%, 52.3% and 47.1%, respectively, were observed. Six patients (10.2%) died related to treatment (1 during induction treatment, 5 post HCT-ASCT). Age was not prognostic. On univariate analysis, KPS ≥ 80 (p = 0.019) and complete or partial remission before HCT-ASCT (p = 0.026) were positive prognosticators of OS; on multivariate analysis, KPS (p = 0.043) and male gender (p = 0.039) had an impact on OS. The 5-year OS rate in patients with progressive or stable disease after induction treatment was 32.7%. In summary, HCT-ASCT was effective and feasible in this cohort of r/r PCNSL patients. Clinical state, remission status before HCT-ASCT, and gender influenced survival, whereas age did not influence outcome in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Secondary central nervous system lymphoma (SCNSL) confers a dismal prognosis and treatment advances are constrained by the lack of prospective studies and real-world treatment evidence. Patients with SCNSL of all entities were included at first diagnosis and patient characteristics, treatment data, and outcomes were prospectively collected in the Secondary CNS Lymphoma Registry (SCNSL-R) (NCT05114330). 279 patients from 47 institutions were enrolled from 2011 to 2022 and 243 patients (median age: 66 years; range: 23–86) were available for analysis. Of those, 49 (20 %) patients presented with synchronous (cohort I) and 194 (80 %) with metachronous SCNSL (cohort II). The predominant histology was diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL, 68 %). Median overall survival (OS) from diagnosis of CNS involvement was 17·2 months (95 % CI 12–27·5), with longer OS in cohort I (60·6 months, 95 % CI 45·5-not estimable (NE)) than cohort II (11·4 months, 95 % CI 7·8–17·7, log-rank test p < 0.0001). Predominant induction regimens included R-CHOP/high-dose MTX (cohort I) and high-dose MTX/cytarabine (cohort II). Rituximab was used in 166 (68 %) of B-cell lymphoma. Undergoing consolidating high-dose therapy and autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HDT-ASCT) in partial response (PR) or better was associated with longer OS (HR adjusted 0·47 (95 % CI 0·25–0·89), p = 0·0197). This study is the largest prospective cohort of SCNSL patients providing a comprehensive overview of an international real-world treatment landscape and outcomes. Prognosis was better in patients with SCNSL involvement at initial diagnosis (cohort I) and consolidating HDT-ASCT was associated with favorable outcome in patients with PR or better. • Large prospective study in SCNSL, including n = 243 patients diagnosed from 2011 to 2022. • Providing real-world data from an international registry. • Reporting patient characteristics, treatments and outcomes in SCNSL. • High-dose therapy followed by stem cell transplant is associated with better survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]