Dr. Timmerman on Recent Developments in Hodgkin Lymphoma Treatment

John M. Timmerman, MD, an associate professor of medicine, UCLA Lymphoma Program, Division of Hematology & Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, discusses recent developments made in the treatment of patients with Hodgkin lymphoma.

The ECHELON-1 trial showed that the addition of brentuximab vedotin (Adcetris) to standard chemotherapy for Hodgkin lymphoma can slightly improve progression-free survival, but with greater toxicity, explains Timmerman. Due to the toxicity, the regimen has not been widely adopted and longer follow-up is necessary, he adds.

Additionally, after seeing the efficacy of anti—PD-1 checkpoint inhibitors in Hodgkin lymphoma, researchers are asking whether they should be used in the frontline setting. Recently, a study looked at the addition of an anti–PD-1 antibody to chemotherapy and good responses were observed. However, there was some added toxicity and 1 death with the combination, says Timmerman. Therefore, he believes that checkpoint inhibitors should be reserved for patients with relapsed/refractory disease.