In a nutshell
This study examined the safety and effectiveness of sintilimab in patients with relapsed or unresponsive Hodgkin lymphoma. This study concluded that sintilimab could be a new treatment option for these patients.
Some background
Hodgkin disease (HD) is a type of lymphoma. In patients who relapse or do not respond to first-line therapies, treatment options include chemotherapy followed by stem cell transplantation. It is important to research other treatment options for these patients.
Sintilimab is a monoclonal antibody. It works by helping the immune system to kill cancer cells. The safety and effectiveness of sintilimba in patients with relapsed or unresponsive HD remain under investigation.
Methods & findings
96 patients with HD were included in this study. These patients did not respond to 2 or more types of treatment previously, or they had a relapse. All patients received sintilimab once every 3 weeks, for a maximum of 24 months. Patients were followed up by CT or MRI scans for an average of 10.5 months.
Of the 92 patients with confirmed HD, 80.4% responded to sintilimab. 34% of patients went into remission with no sign of the disease on scans. Progression-free survival (the percentage of patients alive without the tumor growing or spreading) at 6 months was 77.6%.
Side effects were reported in 93% of patients taking sintilimab. These were severe or life-threatening in 18% of patients. The most common serious side effect was a high fever.
The bottom line
This study concluded that sintilimab could be a new treatment option for patients with relapsed or unresponsive Hodgkin lymphoma.
The fine print
This study was funded by Innovent Biologics, the manufacturer of sintilimab. This is a small study. Larger studies will need to be conducted to see how well this works in a larger group. This study was carried out in Chinese patients. The results may not apply to other ethnicities.
Published By :
The Lancet. Haematology
Date :
Jan 01, 2019
