Evaluating the effectiveness and safety of penpulimab in patients with relapsed or refractory classical Hodgkin lymphoma.

This study evaluated the effectiveness and safety of penpulimab (AK105) for the treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory (r/r) classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL). The data showed that penpulimab was effective and safe with manageable side effects in these patients.

Classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) is a cancer of the lymphatic system. It causes white blood cells to grow out of control and lead to swollen lymph nodes and growth in the body. Most patients with cHL respond to first-line chemotherapy regimens. However, up to 25% of patients experience relapse (worsening of the disease) or refractory (not responsive to the treatment) disease. These patients can benefit from second-line therapies.

Penpulimab is an immunotherapy that helps the immune system detect and find cancer cells. Some cancer cells have on their surface proteins, such as PD-L1 that bind to the PD-1 protein which helps them avoid detection by the immune system. Penpulimab blocks the PD-1 protein, which triggers the immune system to detect and attack tumor cells and kill them. The effectiveness and safety of penpulimab for the treatment of patients with r/r cHL are still unknown.

This study involved 94 patients with r/r cHL. All patients received 200 mg penpulimab once every 2 weeks. The average follow-up time was 15.8 months.

Overall, 89.4% of the patients responded to the treatment. The complete response rate (complete disappearance of cancer cells) was 47.1%. The partial response rate (partial disappearance of cancer cells) was 42.4%.

After 18 months, 100% of the patients were alive. After 12 months, 72.1% of the patients were alive without cancer worsening.

26.6% of the patients experienced serious treatment-related side effects. 4.3% of the patients experienced serious immune-related side effects. The most common immune-related side effects were thyroid dysfunctions. 

This study concluded that penpulimab was effective and safe with manageable side effects in patients with r/r cHL.

This study was funded by Akeso Biopharma Co., Ltd., the manufacturer of penpulimab. The sample size was very small. The follow-up time was too short. Also, there was no control group.