Dr Burke on Ongoing Investigations in Lymphoma Treatment

John Burke, MD, hematologist, medical oncologist, blood cancer specialist, Rocky Mountain Cancer Centers, discussed recent advances in lymphoma research that were presented during the 2024 ASCO Annual Meeting, with particular emphasis on 2 key studies.

At the meeting, investigators presented research on the phase 3 ECHELON-3 study (NCT04404283) which evaluated treatment with brentuximab vedotin (Adcetris), an anti-CD30 antibody-drug conjugate, in combination with lenalidomide (Lenvima) and rituximab (Rituxan) in relapsed/refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), Burke begins. This analysis marked the first randomized phase 3 trial to assess this combination, yielding positive outcomes across all major end points, including response rate, progression-free survival, and overall survival, he emphasized. Interestingly, the study revealed that the benefits of brentuximab vedotin were consistent regardless of the CD30 expression levels on the DLBCL cells, Burke adds.

He goes on to say that these finding suggests that brentuximab vedotin may have therapeutic effects beyond its previously known target, challenging previous assumptions about its limited utility in DLBCL due to variable CD30 expression. The success of this trial indicates that adding the agent to the treatment protocol could become a viable new standard for managing relapsed/refractory DLBCL, he reports.

The second trial that Burke highlights is the phase 1/2 NP30179 trial (NCT03075696) which investigates glofitamab-gxbm (Columvi) in relapsed/refractory mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). Glofitamab is a novel bispecific antibody targeting CD3 and CD20, he notes. IN the trial, the agent displayed efficacy characterized by beneficial response rates and the potential to induce long-term remissions in some patients, Burke explains.

These findings are particularly encouraging as they demonstrate the potent anti-tumor activity of glofitamab, affirming its role as an effective treatment option. The results support ongoing research and eventual clinical application of glofitamab for MCL, potentially offering patients a new avenue for therapy that could lead to better management of this challenging cancer, Burke concludes.