Is camrelizumab effective for recurring or resistant classical Hodgkin’s lymphoma?

This study evaluated camrelizumab (SHR 1210) for patients with classical Hodgkin's Lymphoma (cHL) that has come back or is resisting treatment. The authors concluded that this drug is a safe and effective treatment for these patients.

After initial treatment, 5-10% of patients with cHL do not experience remission (disappearance of signs and symptoms of cancer). Another 10% – 30% of patients have the cancer come back (relapse) or resist treatment (refractory). Intensive chemotherapy followed by autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) is the standard treatment for these patients. Unfortunately, if this treatment does not work, options are limited.

Targeted therapy is one option for these patients. Camrelizumab is a monoclonal antibody. This drug targets a protein called PD-1 on the surface of cancer cells that drives tumor growth. The safety and effectiveness of camrelizumab for cHL remain under investigation.

This study included 75 patients with cHL who did not achieve remission after initial treatment. Patients underwent ASCT or had received at least two lines of chemotherapy. In this study, patients received camrelizumab. Patients were followed-up for an average of 12.9 months. During follow-up, response to treatment was evaluated using CT or MRI scanning.

Overall, 76.0% of patients responded to treatment. 28.0% of patients had no signs of cancer after treatment, and 48.0% of patients had tumor shrinkage. On average, patients responded after an average of 2 months of treatment.

By the end of the study, 77.7% of patients were continuing to respond to treatment. Patients survived for an average of 11.3 months without experiencing tumor growth. 57.3% of patients were still receiving treatment. 42.7% had stopped treatment due to progression of their disease.

Most side effects were mild. The most common ones were the growth of small blood vessels in the skin (97.3%) and fever (42.7%). 26.7% of patients reported serious side effects. The most common serious side effect was low white blood cell count (4.0%).

Camrelizumab shows promise as a new safe and effective treatment option in Chinese patients with relapsed or refractory cHL.

This study had a small patient population. Larger studies that include more diverse study populations (not just Chinese patients) are needed to confirm the effectiveness of camrelizumab ?for cHL.