Staging of chronic lymphocytic leukemia by total tumor mass (TTM) score. Evaluation of 121 patients
Brugiatelli, M.; Morabito, F.; Restifo, D.; Neri, A.
Haematologica 70(5): 405-413
1985
ISSN/ISBN: 0390-6078 PMID: 3937776 Document Number: 246437
This study reports the retrospective analysis of 121 CLL patients evaluated by TTM score staging system proposed by Jaksic. The TTM score is a number obtained by summing three parameters: the square root of the number of circulating lymphocytes (TM1), the diameter of the largest lymph node (TM2) and the palpable spleen in cm (TM3). Overall median survival of all patients was 51 months, the EMS was 95.6 months for patients with favourable prognosis (TTM score < 9) and 32.7 months for patients with a poor prognosis (TTM score .gtoreq. 9). Prognostic value of TTM staging system was partially independent of other factors such as age, sex, peripheral lymphocytosis, bone marrow failure and tumoral mass distribution. TTM score also allowed us to evaluate the response to chemotherapy and it demonstrated that survival probability of CR, PR and NR patients was significantly different. This study confirms that the TTM score is of prognostic value as well as other CLL staging systems currently widely used. In addition, because TTM classification lies on simple parameters, its application in clinical practice appears easy and particularly useful for multicentric studies on CLL patients.