What is DLBCL?
Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is the most prevalent type of
non-Hodgkin lymphoma. It is categorised as a more aggressive form of
blood cancer as it is characterised by the rapid proliferation of large
cancerous B-cells, leading to the formation of tumours in lymph nodes
and other tissues. While it is an aggressive type of NHL, advances in
treatments, including targeted therapies and in particular
immunotherapy, have improved the outlook for many patients diagnosed
with DLBCL.
You can access further information about DLBCL, including risk
factors, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment from
Cancer
Council Victoria. You can also
call
our trusted cancer nurses on 13 11 20 for support and to learn about
our range of services for people affected by cancer.
The Victorian Cancer Registry also operates an interactive web
portal,
Data
Explorer, which provides more trends and statistics than published
here.
How common is DLBCL?
In 2024, 631 Victorians were diagnosed with DLBCL. Of these, there
were 359 males and 272 females, representing 57% and 43% of the total
Victorian DLBCL diagnoses, respectively. Currently, DLBCL is diagnosed
at a rate of 9 per 100,000 males and 6 per 100,000 females. The median
age at diagnosis of DLBCL is 68 years in males and 70 in females (Figure
1 & 2). Accounting for 1.6% of all cancers diagnosed and 1.6% of all
cancer-related deaths in 2024, DLBCL was the 15th most commonly
diagnosed cancer and the 18th most common cause of cancer-related deaths
in Victoria in 2024.
Trends in DLBCL over time
Figure 3a shows for males between 1993 to 2024 the age standardised
incidence rate of DLBCL increased by an average of 0.15% per year.
However this result was not statistically significant, meaning the
change cannot be confidently considered real and may be due to random
fluctuations.
For females between 1995 to 2024 the age standardised incidence rate
of DLBCL declined by an average of 0.19% per year. However this result
wasn’t statistically significant, meaning the change cannot be
confidently considered real and may be due to random fluctuations.
Geographical variance in DLBCL by local government area
Figure 4 demonstrates variation in the estimated risk of being
diagnosed with DLBCL, by local government area, relative to the
Victorian average. Red shading indicates areas with higher risk and blue
shading indicates areas with lower risk relative to Victoria.
DLBCL in people born overseas
Figure 5 shows the standardised incidence ratios (SIRs) of DLBCL in
Australian-born Victorians compared to other major migrant groups, over
the five-year period 2019 to 2023. The highest standardised incidence
ratio (SIR) for DLBCL was 1.3 for males born in the Other Europe region
and the lowest SIR of 0.71 was observed in males born in the North-East
Asia region. The highest standardised incidence ratio (SIR) for DLBCL
was 1.1 for females born in the North-East Asia region and the lowest
SIR of 0.55 was observed in females born in the Africa region.
DLBCL five-year relative survival
Figure 6 shows the change in 5-year survival for DLBCL, and the
5-year survival trend for all cancers over the same time period. It
demonstrates that five-year relative survival has increased for DLBCL
between 1985-1989 and 2020-2024 from 38% to 69%.