David J. Straus, MD, medical oncologist, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, discusses the 3-year follow-up results of the ECHELON-1 study, which examines brentuximab vedotin (Adcetris) with chemotherapy for stage III/IV classical Hodgkin lymphoma.

In the study, 1334 patients were randomized to either doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine (ABVD) or brentuximab vedotin plus doxorubicin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine (AVD). The primary endpoints are survival, which has not been reached, and modified progression-free survival, which is at 2 years. At 2 years, there was a 5% difference in favor of brentuximab vedotin plus AVD. This was statistically significant and led to the approval of brentuximab vedotin in this combination.

In this 3-year follow-up, there is a subset analysis showing the difference between PFS for ABVD versus brentuximab vedotin plus AVD is 7%. Additionally, most relapses happen within 2 or 3 years.

Videos

David J. Straus, MD, medical oncologist, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, discusses the 3-year follow-up results of the ECHELON-1 study, which examines brentuximab vedotin with chemotherapy for stage III/IV classical Hodgkin lymphoma.

Dr. Straus on the 3-Year Results of the ECHELON-1 Study in Hodgkin Lymphoma

David J. Straus, MD, internist and hematologic oncologist, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, discusses the FDA approval of pembrolizumab (Keytruda) as a treatment for patients with Hodgkin lymphoma.

Dr. Straus on FDA Approval of Pembrolizumab in Hodgkin Lymphoma

David J. Straus, MD, an internist and hematologic oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, discusses ongoing clinical trials in the field of Hodgkin lymphoma.

Straus explains that researchers want to achieve a PET complete response with the use of ESHAP or ICE prior to transplant because they have led to improved outcomes  if the PET is negative prior to transplant. If this can be achieved with chemotherapy regimens, that would be an interesting approach, he adds. However, these are early data and it has to be confirmed in other trials, as well as further follow-up data.

Nivolumab (Opdivo) and pembrolizumab (Keytruda) are very exciting because, for the first time ever, there is a treatment that works that is not chemotherapy. Although brentuximab vedotin (Adcetris) is a chemotherapy with a better delivery system, it is still chemotherapy, he explains.

Now, there are other drugs with high response rates. The question is going to be how to introduce these drugs as early as possible into patients as being the 10% to 15% of whom who are chemotherapy resistant.

David J. Straus, MD

Articles

Dr. Straus on the 3-Year Results of the ECHELON-1 Study in Hodgkin Lymphoma

Dr. Straus on FDA Approval of Pembrolizumab in Hodgkin Lymphoma

Dr. Straus on Ongoing Clinical Trials in Hodgkin Lymphoma