FLIPI Score for Follicular Lymphoma: Understanding Prognosis

According to the American Cancer Society, follicular lymphoma makes up approximately 20 percent of all lymphoma cases. The Follicular Lymphoma International Prognostic Index (FLIPI) is used in determining a follicular lymphoma patient's prognosis.

Follicular Lymphoma

• Follicular lymphoma is a cancer of the lymph glands. This type of lymphoma is indolent -- slow growing -- however, it is difficult to cure and treat. In about 33 percent of all cases, this cancer will transform into an aggressive form of cancer called b-cell lymphoma.

Significance

• According to the "Oxford Journals Annals of Oncology," the FLIPI score is imperative in tracking histological transformation -- minute changes in tissue -- in follicular lymphoma patients. When these changes in tissue begin to occur, it means the disease is progressing to b-cell lymphoma, and prognosis becomes significantly worse.

Features

• The FLIPI score determines prognosis based on five separate factors that are calculated and compared to data collected over a long-term study of about 4,100 international follicular lymphoma patients. The factors are age, the number of nodules -- tumors -- the stage of the cancer, the patient's red blood cell levels and the patient's LDH -- blood serum -- levels. The patient then receives a score from one to three that gauges his risk for developing b-cell lymphoma. One is low risk, three is high, and two intermediate.