ecancermedicalscience

Research

External validation of the International Prognostic Score (IPS-7) for classical Hodgkin lymphoma: a retrospective study from an Indonesian cohort

15 Jul 2026
Agus Jati Sunggoro, Felicia Renata, Garwita Anindya Restisa, Devina Ravelia Tiffany Subroto

Background: The International Prognostic Score (IPS-7) is widely used for risk stratification in classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL), but its applicability in low- and middle-income countries remains unclear. This study aimed to externally validate IPS-7 and assess its prognostic performance for overall survival (OS) in an Indonesian cohort.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study included patients aged ≥15 years with histologically confirmed cHL across Ann Arbor stages I–IV, treated at a tertiary cancer referral centre between January 2019 and June 2022. IPS-7 was determined at diagnosis. OS at 1–3 years was estimated using Kaplan–Meier and compared across risk groups using the log-rank test. Univariate Cox regression evaluated each IPS-7 component, and model discrimination was assessed using Harrell’s C-index.

Results: Ninety-eight patients were analysed, with 34 events (34.7%). Median OS for low-, intermediate-, and high-risk groups was 42, 30, and 16 months, respectively. OS was 88%, 80%, and 74% at 1–3 years in the low-risk group; 70.5%, 67.4%, and 54.5% in the intermediate group; and 35.1% at 1 year in the high-risk group. Survival differed significantly among risk groups (log-rank p = 0.015). No single IPS-7 variable was significant on Cox analysis. Harrell’s C-index for IPS-7 in the overall cohort was 0.547 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.394–0.701), indicating poor to borderline discrimination. In an exploratory analysis, IPS-3 showed comparable performance, with a C-index of 0.590 (95% CI 0.326–0.855). In the advanced-stage subgroup (Ann Arbor stage III–IV), both IPS-7 and IPS-3 demonstrated moderate discriminative ability, with C-index of 0.605 (95% CI 0.445–0.765) and 0.603 (95% CI 0.423–0.783), respectively. Conclusion: IPS-7 significantly stratified OS, with limited discrimination in the overall mixed-stage cohort but modest performance in the advanced-stage subgroup, supporting its cautious use for baseline risk stratification in resource-limited settings.

Related Articles

Anjali Rathee, Priyanshi Dixit, Surya Kant Tiwari, Mukul Aggarwal, Pradeep Kumar, Rishi Dhawan, Richa Chauhan, Jasmita Dass, Ganesh Kumar Vishwanathan, Tulika Seth, Manoranjan Mahapatra
Ariel Cherro, Laura Aresca, María Susana Ciruzzi, Alejo Agranatti, María Fernanda Montaña, Cynthia Frahne, Jaqueline Cimerman
Grace M Ferri*, John F Murphy*, Akash Oza*, Alexander J B Bulteel, Wafaa Abbasi, Rachel Anderson, Mehmed Taha Dinc, Eva Gaufberg, Kayra Cengiz, Sainikhil Sontha, Janice Weinberg, Patrick Kurpaska, Yashvin Onkarappa Mangala, Matthew Kulke, Umit Tapan
Mahama Jato Asuma, Akoto Yaw Omari Sasu, Alhassan Faisal, Akulibile James, Addae Bernard Mensah