The clinical course of mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is highly variable. Lower age, better performance status, lower serum lactate-dehydrogenase (LDH) activity, and lower white blood cell (WBC) count at first diagnosis have been shown to be associated with longer progression-free and overall survival in patients with MCL suitable for moderately intensive chemotherapy. Furthermore, the tumour cell proliferation rate Ki-67 index has been identified as strong prognostic marker additional to clinical patient