In a nutshell
This study looked at the effects of brentuximab vedotin (Adcetris) in a real-world setting. The study concluded that this is a valid treatment for patients with relapsed Hodgkin lymphoma, and is especially helpful in elderly patients.
Some background
Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) is generally considered a curable disease. However, some patients do not respond well to first-line treatment (refractory), and some patients relapse. For these patients, traditional treatment has been autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) using the patient’s own stem cells (immature blood cells). Brentuximab vedotin (BV) is a newer therapy that can be used to treat relapsed or refractory HL in patients either before or after receiving ASCT.
BV is a biological agent that blocks a protein (CD30) that exists on the surface of HL cells. BV has been studied in clinical trials, but there are few studies of the real-world effectiveness of BV.
Methods & findings
The medical records of 234 patients with relapsed or refractory HL who were treated with BV were examined. All patients expressed the CD30 protein. The average follow-up time was 18 months.
The overall response rate (people who responded to treatment) at the end of treatment was 48.3%. 62 patients experienced a complete response (no sign of disease) and 51 experienced a partial response (decrease in lymphoma cells) to BV. The best response rate (best response to treatment at any point) was 59.8%. The best response rate was significantly higher in patients over 60 years old (67.8%).
The 4.5-year overall survival rate (time from beginning of treatment to death from any cause) was 59.8%. The 4.5-year progression free survival rate (time from treatment to disease progression) was 31.9%. The average progression free survival was 11 months.
The bottom line
The authors concluded that brentuximab vedotin was an effective treatment option for patients with relapsed or refractory Hodgkin lymphoma, particularly older patients.
Published By :
Oncotarget
Date :
May 19, 2017
