Francine Foss, MD, professor of medicine, Yale School of Medicine, discusses pursing new therapeutic options for the treatment of patients with T-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL).

Although more than 60% of patients with aggressive T-cell NHL achieve a complete remission (CR), the rest have primary refractory disease and cannot move on to undergo transplant without additional therapy, according to Foss. Newer agents are under investigation to address this need, Foss says. For example, the incorporation of oral therapy in this setting could be promising, as most patients have already received aggressive chemotherapy, Foss adds.

Furthermore, those who relapse, either later in the course of their disease or if they have not undergone transplant, need additional therapy options. Allogeneic stem cell transplant or CAR T-cell therapies can be utilized to cure some of these patients, Foss says. It is important to pursue effective therapies that can induce CRs, even in the relapsed and refractory settings, Foss concludes.

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Francine Foss, MD, discusses pursing new therapeutic options for the treatment of patients with T-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Dr. Foss on Pursuing New Therapeutic Options in T-Cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma 

Francine Foss, MD, professor of medicine and dermatology at Yale School of Medicine, discusses the challenges faced in cutaneous T-cell lymphoma.

It has been a great challenge to find effective therapies for patients with cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, says Foss. Oftentimes it is difficult to conduct clinical trials because there are so few patients with the disease, adds Foss. Without enough patient enrollment on these trials, it is difficult to get investigational drugs approved by the FDA.

However, the international, randomized MAVORIC phase III study managed to enroll almost 400 patients with cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. In the trial, investigators compared the use of mogamulizumab-kpkc (Poteligeo) with standard treatment with vorinostat in patients with previously treated cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. Data from this trial led to the September 2018 FDA approval of the drug for use in 2 rare types of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma: mycosis fungoides and Sézary syndrome. It took an international effort to conduct this trial, says Foss.

It’s important to remember that no matter how many drugs are available, patients will still progress and require additional therapy; this is a large unmet need in cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, concludes Foss.

Francine Foss, MD, discusses the challenges faced in cutaneous T-cell lymphoma.

Francine Foss, MD

Articles

Dr. Foss on Pursuing New Therapeutic Options in T-Cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma

Dr. Foss on the Unmet Need in Cutaneous T-cell Lymphoma