Integration
The module integrates multiple features within a multidimensional framework, making it possible to assess whether patients can be meaningfully clustered using only the available clinical variables.
Features
The following clinical variables were included in the analysis:
Ki-67
Proliferation index.
MIPI
Mantle Cell Lymphoma International Prognostic Index.
LDH
Lactate dehydrogenase.
ECOG
Performance status score (0-4) describing the patient's daily functional ability.
Age
Patient age at diagnosis.
Sex
Patient sex.
P53 status
TP53 mutation/expression status.
Bulky
Presence of bulky disease.
Stage
Ann Arbor stage.
Dimensionality Reduction Analysis
A dimensionality reduction approach based on Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was applied to summarize the multidimensional clinical information and visualize patient distribution in a two-dimensional space.
The resulting PCA scatter plot represents each patient according to the first two principal components, which capture the largest proportion of variability in the original dataset.
Contribution of each clinical variable to the principal components
The plot enables the visual assessment of potential patient clusters, group separation, overlapping clinical profiles, and possible outliers. The percentage of variance explained by each principal component is reported on the corresponding axis and should be considered when interpreting the observed distribution.
Hierarchical Clustering and Clinical Profiles
Based on the principal components obtained from the dimensionality reduction analysis, hierarchical clustering was performed, identifying four distinct patient groups.
Patient clusters projected onto the first two principal components
The distribution of the clinical features across the four clusters is shown below, allowing the characterization of the specific clinical profile associated with each group.
Distribution of clinical variables by cluster
Survival Analysis
Kaplan-Meier curves for progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS), according to the four-cluster patient stratification, are also reported below.
Kaplan-Meier curves for Progression-Free Survival (PFS)
Kaplan-Meier curves for Overall Survival (OS)