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Summary: Belantamab mafodotin, an immuno‐conjugate targeting B‐cell maturation antigen, showed single‐agent activity in phase 1 and 2 studies, and was recently approved for heavily pretreated relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM) patients. Real‐world data and long‐term follow‐up are scarce. We conducted a multisite retrospective study aimed to assess safety and efficacy of belantamab mafodotin monotherapy administered via the GSK expanded access compassionate care programme. One‐hundred and six RRMM patients were treated with belantamab mafodotin between July 2019 and March 2021. The median age was 69.4 years. Patients were heavily pretreated with a median of six (range 2–11) prior therapy lines. Major adverse effects included ocular toxicity (keratopathy 68.4%, grade ≥3: 40.5%; blurred vision 36.8%, grade ≥3: 6.3%), thrombocytopenia (27.4%, grade ≥3: 17.9%) and infections (11.3%, grade ≥3: 7.5%). Median follow‐up time was 11.9 [95% confidence interval (CI) 10.0–13.8] months. Overall response rate was 45.5%. Median progression‐free survival was 4.7 (95% CI 3.5–5.9) months in the entire cohort and 8.8 (95% CI 6.6–10.9) months among responders. Median overall survival was 14.5 (95% CI 9.5–19.6) months, and not reached for responders. To conclude, in a real‐world setting, belantamab mafodotin monotherapy showed efficacy comparable with the prospective clinical trials, with a tolerable toxicity profile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This multicentre study evaluated 5-year progression-free ( PFS) and overall survival ( OS) in early and advanced Hodgkin lymphoma ( HL), where therapy was individualized based on initial prognostic factors and positron emission tomography-computed tomography performed after two cycles ( PET-2). Between September 2006 and August 2013, 359 patients aged 18-60 years, were recruited in nine Israeli centres. Early- HL patients initially received ABVD (adriamycin, bleomycin, vinblastine, dacarbazine) ×2. Depending on initial unfavourable prognostic features, PET-2-positive patients received additional ABVD followed by involved-site radiotherapy ( ISRT). Patients with negative PET-2 and favourable disease received ISRT or ABVD ×2; those with unfavourable disease received ABVD ×2 with ISRT or, alternatively, ABVD ×4. Advanced- HL patients initially received ABVD ×2 or escalated BEACOPP (bleomycin, etoposide, adriamycin, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, procarbazine, prednisone; EB) ×2 based on their international prognostic score (≤2 or ≥3). PET-2-negative patients further received ABVD ×4; PET-2-positive patients received EB ×4 and ISRT to residual masses. With a median follow-up of 55 (13-119) months, 5-year PFS was 91% and 69% for PET-2-negative and positive early- HL, respectively; 5-year OS was 100% and 95%, respectively. For advanced- HL, the PFS was 81% and 68%, respectively ( P = 0·08); 5-year OS was 98% and 91%, respectively. PET-2 positivity is associated with inferior prognosis in early- HL, even with additional ABVD and ISRT. Advanced- HL patients benefit from therapy escalation following positive PET-2. EB can be safely de-escalated to ABVD in PET-2-negative patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the preliminary studies which show a possible link between chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) and blood levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), pointing to BDNF as a potential biomarker for CIPN. It states that vincristine is a chemotherapeutic agent that is associated with CIPN.