Evaluating the effectiveness and safety outcomes of pembrolizumab plus GVD chemotherapy combination in patients with relapsed or refractory classical Hodgkin lymphoma.

This study evaluated the effectiveness and safety outcomes of pembrolizumab (Keytruda) plus GVD (gemcitabine, vinorelbine, and liposomal doxorubicin) as second-line therapy for patients with relapsed or refractory (r/r) classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL). The data showed that the pembrolizumab plus GVD combination is safe and highly effective for these patients.

Classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) is a cancer of white blood cells. 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.

Chemotherapy combinations such as GVD can be used as second-line therapies. Pembrolizumab 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 binds to PD-1 protein which helps them avoid detection from the immune system. Pembrolizumab blocks the PD-1 protein, and this inhibition triggers the immune system to attack tumor cells and kills them. The safety and effectiveness of pembrolizumab plus GVD chemotherapy combination as second-line therapy for patients with r/r cHL are still under investigation.

This study involved 39 patients with r/r cHL. 31 patients received 2 cycles of pembrolizumab plus GVD combination. 8 patients received 4 cycles of pembrolizumab plus GVD combination. After treatment, the patients proceeded to receive high-dose therapy and autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation (HDT/AHCT). ASCT involves transplanting healthy stem cells from the same patient. The average follow-up time after HDT/AHCT was 13.5 months.

Overall, 100% of the patients responded to the treatment. The complete response rate (complete disappearance of cancer cells) was 95%. 95% of patients proceeded to HDT/AHCT and all of these transplanted patients were in remission at follow-up.

The most common side effects were low white blood cell counts, rash, inflammation of the thyroid gland, increase in liver enzymes.

This study concluded that second-line therapy with pembrolizumab plus GVD combination was a safe and highly effective treatment in patients with r/r cHL.

This study was funded by Merck, the manufacturers of pembrolizumab. Larger studies with a longer follow-up are needed to confirm the effectiveness of pembrolizumab plus GVD combination.