Evaluating survival outcomes after brentuximab vedotin treatment for relapsed or refractory Hodgkin’s lymphoma

This study evaluated the impact of brentuximab vedotin (Adcetris) on the survival of patients with relapsed or refractory (does not respond to treatment) classical Hodgkin’s lymphoma (cHL). This study concluded that brentuximab vedotin significantly improved survival in these patients.

Patients with cHL who relapse or experience disease progression after autologous stem cell transplantation (autoSCT) tend to have poor outcomes. Treatment options for these patients are limited. However, new agents such as brentuximab vedotin are promising.

Brentuximab vedotin is a monoclonal antibody. This type of treatment binds to cancer cells, leading to cancer cell death. Previous studies have shown that 75% of patients with relapsed or refractory cHL respond to this treatment. The impact of brentuximab vedotin on the survival outcomes for these patients remains under investigation.

This study involved 214 patients who relapsed or developed refractory disease after autoSCT. Patients previously received an average of 3 prior lines of treatment. Patients were divided into two groups: those who received brentuximab vedotin (31.8%; BV) and those who did not receive brentuximab vedotin ?(68.2%; no BV). Patients were followed-up for an average of 30 months.

At follow-up, the average overall survival (time from treatment until disease progression; OS) for all patients was 39 months. The average OS was significantly longer for the BV group compared to the no BV group (57 months vs. 31 months). Treatment with BV was significantly associated with a 39% lower risk of mortality.

In this study, 25 (11.7%) patients received BV as a first-line salvage (rescue) treatment to get rid of any remaining cancer cells. Other 43 (20.1%) patients received BV as an additional salvage treatment. First-line salvage treatment with BV was significantly associated with a 66% lower risk of mortality.

This study concluded that BV significantly improved survival outcomes in patients with cHL who relapsed or developed refractory disease after autoSCT.

This study was retrospective, meaning it looked back in time to analyze data. Also, the number of patients who received brentuximab vedotin in this study was small. Larger studies are needed to confirm these results.