Search

In KEYNOTE-087, pembrolizumab had a 69% overall response rate and acceptable safety in patients with relapsed/refractory classical Hodgkin lymphoma (rrHL). We assessed health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in KEYNOTE-087. The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-Core 30 (QLQ-C30) and the EuroQoL Five Dimensions Questionnaire 3-level version (EQ-5D) were administered to 206 patients across three cohorts defined by lymphoma progression after: (1) autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) and subsequent brentuximab vedotin (BV) (n = 69); (2) salvage chemotherapy and BV (n = 79); and (3) ASCT without post-transplantation BV (n = 58). Compliance/completion rates were ≥90% at week 12 and ≥70% at week 24. QLQ-C30 global health status/QoL and EQ-5D visual analog scale scores showed mean increases from baseline in overall health at all assessed timepoints. With few exceptions, mean improvements from baseline to weeks 12 and 24 in QLQ-C30 functional and symptom scores occurred in all cohorts. Clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT02453594. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) is the most common hematological malignancy in young adults and can be cured in most cases. However, relapsed and refractory Hodgkin lymphoma, certain patient groups, such as elderly patients, and toxicity of first-line treatment still pose significant challenges. Consequently, new treatment options are needed. Recently, many new treatment concepts have been evaluated in clinical trials. Targeted drug-antibody conjugates and immune checkpoint inhibitors have decisively changed treatment approaches. This review aims to give a comprehensive overview of novel agents in Hodgkin lymphoma that have been recently or are currently being evaluated in clinical trials. In addition to dedicated sections on brentuximab vedotin (BV) and immune checkpoint inhibitors, other emerging substances and concepts are discussed. In doing so, this review compares trial results regarding safety and efficacy. A special focus lies on the effect novel agents will have on the different treatment settings faced by clinicians involved in the treatment of Hodgkin lymphoma. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article discusses a study on the use of the oral deacetylase inhibitor panobinostat to treat patients with Hodgkin lymphoma. The study examined 27 patients who received panobinostat and 14 patients who were given placebos. The results revealed relapse in patients after they received high dose chemotherapy and underwent autologous stem cell transplants.

The article reports on research which was conducted to investigate the outcome and risk factors of patients with Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) who relapse or progress after autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT). Researchers evaluated 149 patients. They found that 75% died within 65 months after recurrence of HL following ASCT and that nearly 40% died within one year.

A letter to the editor is presented in which the authors comment on a phase II prospective clinical trial concerning the use of cetuximab, an anti-epidermal growth factor receptor antibody, in treating refractory or relapsed multiple myeloma both on its own and combined with dexamethasone.

This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to determine the effectiveness of brentuximab vedotin (BV) in relapsed/refractory classical Hodgkin lymphoma (R/R cHL) in the clinical practice setting using most recent results. A total of 32 observational studies reporting on treatment patterns, overall response rate (ORR), complete response (CR) rate, progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and adverse events were found. After four cycles, a random-effect model yielded pooled ORR and CR rates of 62.6% (95% confidence interval (CI): 56.0–68.9; I2 = 9.7%) and 32.9% (95% CI, 20.8–46.3, I2 = 64.8%), respectively. Regarding survival, 1-year, 2-year, and 5-year PFS ranged from 52.1% to 63.2%, 45.2% to 56.2%, and 31.9% to 33.0%, respectively. OS rates were 68.2–82.7%, 58.0–81.9%, and 58.0–62.0%, respectively. Most common adverse events were hematological toxicities (neutropenia: 13.3–23%, anemia: 8.8–39.0%, and thrombocytopenia: 4–4.6%), and grade ≥3 peripheral neuropathy (3.3–7.3%). This study supports the effectiveness and safety of BV in R/R cHL patients in the real-world setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A letter to the editor is presented regarding activity of cetuximab as single agent in a patient with relapsed multiple myeloma.

Patients with classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) typically receive first-line chemotherapy or chemoradiotherapy, and cure rates are high [[1]]. When response was evaluated by prior lines of therapy, ORR was 79.4% (95% CI, 67.3-88.5) among patients who had received at least three prior therapies ( I n i = 63) and 100.0% (95% CI, 63.1-100.0) among patients who had received fewer than three prior therapies ( I n i = 8). However, for patients who have primary refractory cHL that does not respond to salvage chemotherapy or for patients who are ineligible for transplantation because of comorbidity, pembrolizumab could be an effective treatment option. [Extracted from the article]

What is it that we actually see when looking at PET (positron emission tomography)-positive signals in Hodgkin lymphoma (HL)? Thus, the question of how to manage PET-positive lesions at the end of frontline therapy in HL is indeed crucial, because undertreating a disease that can be cured with firstline treatment in 80-90% of cases must definitely be avoided. As a result the authors concluded that it may not always be decisive to perform a biopsy for PET-positive residual mediastinal tissue after frontline therapy and that it was safe and appropriate to first closely observe asymptomatic patients instead of directly intensifying treatment. In the GHSG HD15 trial Engert et al. assessed whether administering RT only to patients with persistent PET-positive residues after chemotherapy was justifiable compared to earlier trials where irradiation was given to all initial bulky findings and all residual disease. [Extracted from the article]

We examined real-world data on management of relapsed/refractory Hodgkin lymphoma (R/R HL) in five European countries and the consistency of these data with guideline recommendations. Retrospective clinical and epidemiologic data for 509 patients with R/R HL treated between January 2014 and March 2015 were collected at centers in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Mean age was 46.3 years; 73.3% were receiving second-line therapy for a first relapse during the reporting period. Most patients received ABVD as front-line chemotherapy, except in Germany where escalated BEACOPP was used more often. The proportion of patients receiving stem cell transplantation (SCT) was 44%; 85% of transplants occurred at first relapse. Brentuximab vedotin (BV) was usually administered after autologous SCT, and was initiated for 65% of patients following SCT failure. Our findings suggest that R/R HL management across these countries is broadly consistent with guideline recommendations and that BV is well-integrated into treatment pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Only limited data are available on the role of brentuximab vedotin (SGN-35) in transplant-naive relapsed or refractory patients with Hodgkin lymphoma (HL). We thus retrospectively analyzed 14 patients with primary refractory or relapsed HL who were treated with brentuximab vedotin as single agent in a named patient program, who had not received prior high-dose chemotherapy (HDCT) and autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) due to refractory disease ( n = 9), comorbidity ( n = 4) and unknown reasons ( n = 1). Brentuximab vedotin resulted in an overall response rate of 71% (10/14) with five complete responses (CRs). Five of those patients with refractory disease and four patients with relevant comorbidity responded. Consolidating ASCT ( n = 4) or allogeneic SCT ( n = 1) was performed in five patients. Median progression-free survival (PFS) was 9 months and the median overall survival (OS) was not reached. These data indicate the therapeutic efficacy of brentuximab vedotin in chemotherapy-refractory transplant-naive patients with HL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]