Prognosis of Non hodgkins lymphoma (NHL)
The International Prognostic Index ( IPI), is a popular prognostic system for non-Hodgkin#$#s lymphoma.
This system makes use of 5 indicators or factors:
- Age
- Level of the enzyme Lactate Dehydrogenase (LDH)
- Performance status
- Clinical stage of the disease
- Extranodal sites affected by the disease
IPI was,however, developed prior to the introduction of rituximab, so the significance of IPI in that context needs to be reassessed.
FLIPI
For follicular lymphoma, a subtype of NHL, another prognostic index was developed called follicular lymphoma international prognostic index (FLIPI ). FLIPI too was developed before the rigorous use of Rituximab and so the same limitations apply.
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The factors which have been considered for FLIPI are :
- Age
- Clinical stage
- LDH level
- Hemoglobin level
- Number(s) of nodal sites affected.
