What are the effects of lenalidomide, doxorubicin, vinblastine and dacarbazine in Hodgkin lymphoma?

This study investigated the effects of adding lenalidomide (Revlimid) to doxorubicin (Adriamycin), vinblastine (Velban), and dacarbazine (DTIC-Dome) treatment for older patients with Hodgkin lymphoma (HL). The main finding was that this combination is effective but severe side-effects may be experienced.

HL is a cancer which affects white blood cells. Around 30% of patients with HL are over the age of 60. There are many therapies and combinations of therapies for the treatment of HL. Lenalidomide is often effective when used on its own for the treatment of HL. A common combination of medicines used to treat HL is doxorubicin, vinblastine and dacarbazine. Patients may experience different side effects while undergoing treatment for HL. These side-effects may reduce the dose of the therapy a patient can receive (dose-limiting). Some of these dose-limiting side effects include blood clots and blood cell disorders. It’s important to investigate the effects of different combinations of HL therapies in older patients.

Twenty-five patients with HL were included in this study. On average, participants were 68 years of age. Patients were treated with 4-8 cycles of lenalidomide, doxorubicin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine at increasing doses. Doses of lenalidomide were increased up to 20mg or until the patient experienced dose-limiting side-effects.

Ten patients experienced dose-limiting side effects. Twenty-two patients experienced severe side-effects. However, there were no treatment-related deaths. On average, 20 patients responded to therapy. After 3 years, on average, about 83% of patients survived and 70% of patients survived without HL worsening.

The main finding of this study was that the addition of lenalidomide to doxorubicin, vinblastine and dacarbazine was effective for the treatment of older patients with HL. However patients experienced dose-limiting side-effects during treatment.

This study only included 25 patients. Therefore, the results may not be applicable to larger populations.

If you have questions about the treatment of HL, please ask a doctor.