iwNHL 2016 | Next steps for Hodgkin lymphoma – combining brentuximab vedotin with checkpoint inhibitors
Anton Hagenbeek, MD, PhD of the University of Amsterdam, Netherlands discusses the next steps for Hodgkin lymphoma following the Transplant BRaVE trial (NCT02280993) at the 2016 International Workshop on Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (iwNHL) meeting held in San Diego, CA. According to Prof. Hagenbeek, the next step is to combine the most effective treatments available, i.e. the antibody drug-conjugate brentuximab vedotin plus immune checkpoint inhibitors such as nivolumab and pembrolizumab. To date, no one knows if these types of drugs should be given simultaneously or sequentially; clinical trials are required to answer this question. Prof. Hagebeek explains that we can expect good results with minimal toxicity. If it is possible to induce remissions in a high fraction of patients with acceptable and low toxicity, that would be a major step forward for Hodgkin lymphoma but also diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) or follicular lymphoma.
