FLIPI24: A Modern Prognostic Model and Clinical Trial Enrichment Tool for Newly Diagnosed Follicular Lymphoma

M Matthew J. Maurer (2Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN) V Vit K. Prochazka (Department of Hemato-Oncology, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Palacky University and University Hospital Olomouc, Olomouc, Czech Republic) T Tarec Christoffer El-Galaly (3Departments of Hematology, Clinical Epidemiology, and Molecular Medicine, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark) C Christopher R. Flowers (Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University School of Medicine) D Diego Villa (8Division of Medical Oncology, BC Cancer Centre for Lymphoid Cancer and The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada) E Emmanuel Bachy E Elliot J. Cahn (2Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN) M Marguerite Fournier (19LYSARC, Pierre Benite, France) M Melissa C. Larson (2Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN) C Caroline E. Dietrich (5Division of Clinical Epidemiology, Department of Medicine Solna, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden) L Lasse Hjort Jakobsen (Department of Hematology, Clinical Cancer Research Center, Aalborg University Hospital, Aalborg, Denmark) H Hervé Ghesquieres (Hopital Lyon Sud, Claude Bernard Lyon 1 University, Pierre-Benite, France) R Robert Kridel (Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto) M Maher K. Gandhi (17Translational Research Institute, Mater Research Institute University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia) C Chan Y. Cheah (12Department of Haematology, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Perth, Australia) E Eliza A. Hawkes (14Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute, Austin Health, Melbourne, Australia) J John F. Seymour (Department of Haematology, Royal Melbourne Hospital and Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, VIC, Australia) C Ciara L. Freeman (7Department of Blood and Marrow Transplant and Cellular Immunotherapy, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, FL) M Michael R. Clausen (10Department of Medicine, Vejle Hospital, Vejle, Denmark) B Björn E. Wahlin (11Division of Haematology, Department of Medicine at Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden) J Jonathan W. Friedberg (18Wilmot Cancer Institute, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY) C Carla Casulo (18Wilmot Cancer Institute, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY) T Thomas M. Habermann (22Division of Hematology, Department of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN) Y Yucai Wang (State Key Laboratory of Immune Response and Immunotherapy, Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine) L Loretta J. Nastoupil P Peter de Nully Brown (23Department of Hematology, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark) D David Belada (4th Department of Internal Medicine - Haematology, University Hospital and Faculty of Medicine, Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic) A Andrea Janíková (26Department of Internal Medicine, Hematology and Oncology, University Hospital Brno and Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic) H Heidi Mocikova T Tomáš Fürst (Faculty of Science, Palacky University Olomouc, Olomouc, Czech Republic) P Pierre Feugier (2Service Hématologie, Centre Hospitalier Régional Universitaire de Nancy–Hôpital Brabois, Université de Lorraine, Nancy, France) H Hervé Tilly (5Service Hématologie, Centre Henri Becquerel, Rouen, France) C Corinne Haioun (4Hematology Department, Hôpital Henri Mondor, APHP, Creteil, France) A Andrew J. Davies (1School of Cancer Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom) G Guillaume Cartron (CHU Montpellier UMR5535, Montpellier, France) R Richard Burack D Dai Chihara P Peter Martin J Jonathon B. Cohen (Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University School of Medicine) I Izidore S. Lossos (29Division of Hematology, Department of Medicine, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami, Miami, FL) B Brad S. Kahl (30Division of Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO) L Laurie H. Sehn (8Division of Medical Oncology, BC Cancer Centre for Lymphoid Cancer and The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada) K Karin E. Smedby (5Division of Clinical Epidemiology, Department of Medicine Solna, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden) G Gilles Salles (41Lymphoma Service, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY) M Marek Trneny B Brian K. Link F Franck Morschhauser (Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Lille, Groupe de Recherche sur les formes Injectables et les Technologies Associées, Lille, France) J James R. Cerhan

Abstract

PURPOSE Although most patients with follicular lymphoma (FL) can expect an indolent course, progressive lymphoma remains the primary cause of death during the first decade after diagnosis. Progression of disease within 24 months (POD24) of starting first-line (1L) immunochemotherapy defines a high-risk population with poor survival, but better risk stratification at diagnosis is needed. METHODS The FLIPI24 model was developed and internally validated to predict 24-month event rates using individual data from 4,485 patients treated with 1L immunochemotherapy from 10 observational cohorts of FL. Overall and cause-specific survival was further evaluated in FLIPI24 risk groups. External validation in the 1L immunochemotherapy setting was performed using the prospective observational Lymphoma Epidemiology of Outcomes (LEO) cohort (N = 565) and three randomized phase III trials (N = 3,192); extension to all patients with FL (any 1L therapy) was performed in the LEO cohort (N = 1,445) and its Molecular Epidemiology Resource subcohort (N = 1,074). RESULTS The FLIPI24 model uses age and four blood-based variables (hemoglobin, lactate dehydrogenase, beta-2 microglobulin, and WBC count). FLIPI24 showed consistent performance across validation and extension data sets, which was superior to existing prognostic tools. Across the four external immunochemotherapy validation data sets, patients with high-risk FLIPI24 (23%-32% of patients) had significantly higher 24-month event rates (22%-35%) and inferior 5-year overall survival (77%-83%) compared with patients with low-risk FLIPI24 (29%-31% of patients, 24-month event rates: 10%-12%; 5-year OS: 96%-97%). Results were consistent when evaluating lymphoma-related death and when extended to all patients with FL. CONCLUSION The FLIPI24 model robustly stratifies, at diagnosis, patients with FL at increased risk of lymphoma-related death versus patients with very low lymphoma-related mortality during the first decade after diagnosis. FLIPI24 can be used to enrich future clinical trial designs in newly diagnosed FL.

Article Details

Volume / Issue Vol. 44, Issue 2
Published January 10, 2026
Pages 117-128
ISSN 0732-183X
Publisher Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

Journal Info

Journal of Clinical Oncology

Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

ISSN: 0732-183X Health Sciences

Authors (48)

M

Matthew J. Maurer

2Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN

V

Vit K. Prochazka

Department of Hemato-Oncology, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Palacky University and University Hospital Olomouc, Olomouc, Czech Republic

T

Tarec Christoffer El-Galaly

3Departments of Hematology, Clinical Epidemiology, and Molecular Medicine, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark

C

Christopher R. Flowers

Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University School of Medicine

D

Diego Villa

8Division of Medical Oncology, BC Cancer Centre for Lymphoid Cancer and The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada

E

Emmanuel Bachy

E

Elliot J. Cahn

2Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN

M

Marguerite Fournier

19LYSARC, Pierre Benite, France

M

Melissa C. Larson

2Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN

C

Caroline E. Dietrich

5Division of Clinical Epidemiology, Department of Medicine Solna, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden

L

Lasse Hjort Jakobsen

Department of Hematology, Clinical Cancer Research Center, Aalborg University Hospital, Aalborg, Denmark

H

Hervé Ghesquieres

Hopital Lyon Sud, Claude Bernard Lyon 1 University, Pierre-Benite, France

R

Robert Kridel

Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto

M

Maher K. Gandhi

17Translational Research Institute, Mater Research Institute University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia

C

Chan Y. Cheah

12Department of Haematology, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Perth, Australia

E

Eliza A. Hawkes

14Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute, Austin Health, Melbourne, Australia

J

John F. Seymour

Department of Haematology, Royal Melbourne Hospital and Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

C

Ciara L. Freeman

7Department of Blood and Marrow Transplant and Cellular Immunotherapy, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, FL

M

Michael R. Clausen

10Department of Medicine, Vejle Hospital, Vejle, Denmark

B

Björn E. Wahlin

11Division of Haematology, Department of Medicine at Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden

J

Jonathan W. Friedberg

18Wilmot Cancer Institute, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY

C

Carla Casulo

18Wilmot Cancer Institute, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY

T

Thomas M. Habermann

22Division of Hematology, Department of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN

Y

Yucai Wang

State Key Laboratory of Immune Response and Immunotherapy, Department of Radiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine

L

Loretta J. Nastoupil

P

Peter de Nully Brown

23Department of Hematology, Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark

D

David Belada

4th Department of Internal Medicine - Haematology, University Hospital and Faculty of Medicine, Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic

A

Andrea Janíková

26Department of Internal Medicine, Hematology and Oncology, University Hospital Brno and Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic

H

Heidi Mocikova

T

Tomáš Fürst

Faculty of Science, Palacky University Olomouc, Olomouc, Czech Republic

P

Pierre Feugier

2Service Hématologie, Centre Hospitalier Régional Universitaire de Nancy–Hôpital Brabois, Université de Lorraine, Nancy, France

H

Hervé Tilly

5Service Hématologie, Centre Henri Becquerel, Rouen, France

C

Corinne Haioun

4Hematology Department, Hôpital Henri Mondor, APHP, Creteil, France

A

Andrew J. Davies

1School of Cancer Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom

G

Guillaume Cartron

CHU Montpellier UMR5535, Montpellier, France

R

Richard Burack

D

Dai Chihara

P

Peter Martin

J

Jonathon B. Cohen

Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University School of Medicine

I

Izidore S. Lossos

29Division of Hematology, Department of Medicine, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami, Miami, FL

B

Brad S. Kahl

30Division of Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO

L

Laurie H. Sehn

8Division of Medical Oncology, BC Cancer Centre for Lymphoid Cancer and The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada

K

Karin E. Smedby

5Division of Clinical Epidemiology, Department of Medicine Solna, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden

G

Gilles Salles

41Lymphoma Service, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY

M

Marek Trneny

B

Brian K. Link

F

Franck Morschhauser

Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Lille, Groupe de Recherche sur les formes Injectables et les Technologies Associées, Lille, France

J

James R. Cerhan