Vitality as a Prognostic Biomarker in Hematologic Malignancies: Association With Overall Survival and Progression-Free Survival.
- 1Research Group on Myeloma, Lymphoma, Leukemia, Transplantation, and Cell Therapy, Instituto Nacional de Cancerología, Bogotá, COL.
- 2Specialization Program in Pain Medicine and Palliative Care, Universidad de La Sabana, Chía, COL.
- 3Palliative Care Unit, Instituto Nacional de Cancerología, Bogotá, COL.
Abstract
Background
Patient-reported vitality is increasingly recognized as a prognostic factor in oncology. We evaluated whether the baseline vitality domain of the 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) predicts overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with hematologic malignancies.Methods
We conducted an observational cohort study at a tertiary cancer center in Colombia, with prospective baseline assessment and outcomes ascertained from clinical records. Consecutive adults with advanced multiple myeloma, lymphoma, or acute leukemia completed the SF-36 vitality domain at enrollment and were followed for survival and disease progression.Results
Fifty-six patients were included: 31 with high vitality (score > 50) and 25 with low vitality (score ≤ 50). Low vitality was associated with worse Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status and higher mortality (60% vs. 29%, p = 0.040). Median OS was 16 months in the low-vitality group versus not reached in the high-vitality group (log-rank p = 0.064). Median PFS was 10 versus 28 months (p = 0.041). In Cox regression, low vitality remained associated with a higher risk of death, with a hazard ratio (HR) of 2.46 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.94-6.48; p = 0.068). As a continuous variable, each 10-point increase in vitality score was associated with a 17% reduction in mortality risk (HR: 0.83; 95% CI: 0.71-0.97; p = 0.032). Adding vitality improved prognostic discrimination, with the concordance index increasing from 0.63 to 0.71.Conclusions
Low baseline vitality was associated with inferior survival outcomes and may provide incremental prognostic value beyond performance status in advanced hematologic malignancies. Prospective validation in larger cohorts is warranted.
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BibTeX
@article{cordero2026vitality,
title = {{Vitality as a Prognostic Biomarker in Hematologic Malignancies: Association With Overall Survival and Progression-Free Survival.}},
author = {Humberto Martínez Cordero and Laura C Bermúdez Rojas and Dolli Y Cáceres Gálindez and Laura Cuéllar Valencia},
journal = {Cureus},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.7759/cureus.116984},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42948798},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Vitality as a Prognostic Biomarker in Hematologic Malignancies: Association With Overall Survival and Progression-Free Survival.
AU - Humberto Martínez Cordero
AU - Laura C Bermúdez Rojas
AU - Dolli Y Cáceres Gálindez
AU - Laura Cuéllar Valencia
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/26
JO - Cureus
DO - 10.7759/cureus.116984
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42948798
AB - Background Patient-reported vitality is increasingly recognized as a prognostic factor in oncology. We evaluated whether the baseline vitality domain of the 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) predicts overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) in patients with hematologic malignancies.Methods We conducted an observational cohort study at a tertiary cancer center in Colombia, with prospective baseline assessment and outcomes ascertained from clinical records. Consecutive adults with advanced multiple myeloma, lymphoma, or acute leukemia completed the SF-36 vitality domain at enrollment and were followed for survival and disease progression.Results Fifty-six patients were included: 31 with high vitality (score > 50) and 25 with low vitality (score ≤ 50). Low vitality was associated with worse Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status and higher mortality (60% vs. 29%, p = 0.040). Median OS was 16 months in the low-vitality group versus not reached in the high-vitality group (log-rank p = 0.064). Median PFS was 10 versus 28 months (p = 0.041). In Cox regression, low vitality remained associated with a higher risk of death, with a hazard ratio (HR) of 2.46 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.94-6.48; p = 0.068). As a continuous variable, each 10-point increase in vitality score was associated with a 17% reduction in mortality risk (HR: 0.83; 95% CI: 0.71-0.97; p = 0.032). Adding vitality improved prognostic discrimination, with the concordance index increasing from 0.63 to 0.71.Conclusions Low baseline vitality was associated with inferior survival outcomes and may provide incremental prognostic value beyond performance status in advanced hematologic malignancies. Prospective validation in larger cohorts is warranted.
SN - 2168-8184
ER -