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SOHO 2018 | Promising therapeutic developments for Hodgkin lymphoma
Stephen Ansell, MD, PhD, of Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, discusses clinical trials testing new drugs on patients with relapsed Hodgkin lymphoma. These agents include brentuximab vedotin and PD-1 blocking antibodies, which have been administered in combination and showed a high response rate of more than 80%, with a complete response rate of 62%. Prof. Ansell notes that these findings could possibly be better than some combination chemotherapy approaches used in the past. From the 2018 Society of Hematologic Oncology (SOHO) in Houston, TX, Prof. Ansell also highlights the importance of genetics as a useful prognostic factor; however, he stresses that other biological factors are critical to consider for patients who have just relapsed. Further strategies such as targeting the immune system and using CAR T-cell therapy to treat, or possibly cure Hodgkin lymphoma, are discussed.
