Table 2. Progression-free and Disease-Specific Survival in a Validation Cohort of 166 Patients.^*.

Variable	Patients with Characteristic	P Value for Progression-free Survival		P Value for Disease-Specific Survival
	no. (%)	Univariate Analysis	Multivariate Analysis	Univariate Analysis	Multivariate Analysis
Demographic data
Male sex	86 (51.8)	0.90		0.63
Age >44 yr	54 (32.5)	0.32		0.05
Immunohistochemical data†
≥5% CD68+ cells (IHC score, >1)	120 (72.3)	0.03		0.003	0.003
CD20+ cells
≤10% Background B cells (IHC score, <3)	85 (51.2)	0.02		0.02
Reed–Sternberg cells	20 (12.0)	0.95		0.59
Lymphoid follicles	44 (26.5)	0.24		0.34
≥1% MMP11+ (IHC score, >1)‡	65 (40.6)	0.008	0.009	0.09
Laboratory data
Albumin <40 g/liter	68 (41.0)	0.047		0.03
Hemoglobin <10.5 g/dl	29 (17.5)	0.004		0.11
White-cell count >15,000/mm3	23 (13.9)	0.52		0.23
Lymphocyte count <600/mm3 or <8%	25 (15.1)	0.13		0.15
Clinical data
IPS >3 (high risk)§	28 (16.9)	0.38		0.004	0.03
Advanced-stage disease	125 (75.3)	0.002	0.001	0.05
Constitutional symptoms	76 (45.8)	0.08		0.48
Bulky tumor (≥10 cm in diameter)	53 (31.9)	0.82		0.57

^*P values are for the correlation between each factor and survival. Univariate analyses were calculated with the use of a Cox proportional-hazards regression model, and multivariate analyses were performed with a Cox proportional-hazards regression model (forward stepwise likelihood ratio).

^†Immunohistochemical (IHC) scores range from 1 to 3 for CD68, from 1 to 4 for CD20, and from 0 to 3 for MMP11, with higher scores indicating a greater proportion of positive cells.

^‡Data regarding immunohistochemical staining were missing for six patients.

^§The International Prognostic Score (IPS) ranges from 0 to 7, with higher scores indicating increased risk.