Brentuximab vedotin may hold improved outcomes in frontline stage III/IV classical Hodgkin lymphoma
Updated results from the ECHELON-1 study (NCT01712490) suggest the combination of brentuximab vedotin with doxorubicin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine (A+AVD) may provide a greater 3-year progression-free survival (PFS) compared to doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine (ABVD) in patients with stage III or IV classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL).
ECHELON-1 is a Phase III, multinational, open-label trial comparing A+AVD with ABVD as frontline therapy for stage III or IV cHL. A total of 1334 patients were randomized one to one to receive six cycles of either A+AVD or ABVD and interim positron emission tomography scan after cycle two (PET2). Updated results, including an exploratory analysis of 3-year PFS were published in Blood this March.
The 37-month follow-up showed 3-year PFS was higher in the A+AVD arm (83.1%), compared to the ABVD arm (76%). Additionally, patients younger than 60 years who had a negative PET2 scan were found to have a 3-year PFS of 87.2% in the A+AVD arm, compared to 81% in the ABVD arm.
Further, the A+AVD arm had similar levels of complete resolution or improvement in their symptoms in patients with peripheral neuropathy to the ABVD arm (78% vs. 83%).
The data reported in this follow-up highlight the durable efficacy of A+AVD for the frontline treatment of stage III/IV cHL compared to ABVD.
- Straus DJ, Długosz-Danecka M, Alekseev S, et al. Brentuximab vedotin with chemotherapy for Stage III/IV classical Hodgkin lymphoma: 3-year update of the ECHELON-1 study. Blood. 2020 March; 135(10):735–742.
Written by Thomas Southgate
