Dr. Garcia-Sanz on Brentuximab Vedotin Plus ESHAP in Hodgkin Lymphoma

Ramon Garcia-Sanz, MD, PhD, clinician, department of Hematology, Hospital Universitario de Salamanca, discusses the results of brentuximab vedotin (Adcetris) plus ESHAP (etoposide, methylprednisolone, cytarabine, and cisplatin) followed by autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) in patients with relapsed/refractory Hodgkin lymphoma.

In findings presented at the 2018 European Hematology Association congress, the combination of brentuximab vedotin and ESHAP showed to be safe and effective in this patient population. Investigators aimed to evaluate the long-term results of this combination as second-line therapy prior to ASCT. Garcia-Sanz reports that 71% of patients achieved a complete response before transplantation. Of 66 patients on the study, 60 achieved a sufficient response and moved onto transplant.

The response rate increased from 71% to 83% after transplantation, which translated into a 3-year progression-free survival of 71% and time to treatment failure of 75%. Additionally, overall survival was 91% at 2.5 years. Investigators concluded that this combination is a highly effective regimen for remission induction for patients with relapsed/refractory Hodgkin lymphoma prior to transplant.