EHA 2018 | Novel drug combinations for Hodgkin lymphoma: more effective & less toxic

While the current frontline ABVD (doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine, dacarbazine) regimen for treating advanced-stage Hodgkin lymphoma is effective with manageable side effects, ~30% of patients eventually relapse. Anna Sureda, MD, PhD, of the Catalan Institute of Oncology, Duran I Reynals Hospital, Barcelona, Spain, speaks at the 23rd Congress of the European Hematological Association (EHA) 2018 held in Stockholm, Sweden, about the latest advances in the treatment of Hodgkin lymphoma. Dr Sureda emphasizes the use of PET scans to determine the intensity of treatment and discusses results of the ECHELON-1 trial (NCT01712490). Dr Sureda outlines how this trial highlighted the positives and negatives of certain chemotherapy regimens, such as ABVD, and what refinements are being made in light of this new information. Finally, Dr Sureda concludes her interview by mentioning that other trials are currently taking place to determine how to increase drug effectiveness while decreasing toxicity using novel drug combinations, leading to a promising outlook for the future of lymphoma treatment.