New Therapy Keeps Hodgkin Lymphoma From Progressing
The new drug brentuximab vedotin (BV) successfully halted the progression of Hodgkin lymphoma in adults with hard-to-treat symptoms following autologous stem-cell transplantation (ASCT), according to a recent study.
“High-dose therapy followed by autologous stem-cell transplantation is standard of care for patients with relapsed or primary refractory Hodgkins lymphoma. Roughly 50% of patients might be cured after autologous stem-cell transplantation; however, most patients with unfavourable risk factors progress after transplantation,” said the study’s researchers.
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“We aimed to assess whether brentuximab vedotin improves progression-free survival when given as early consolidation after autologous stem-cell transplantation,” they said.
For the AETHERA phase 3 trial, researchers assigned 329 participants with Hodgkin lymphoma (ages 18 or older) to 16 cycles of BV infusions once every 3 weeks or to placebo. Each of the participants assigned were at high risk of ASCT progression or relapse.
After a 2-year follow-up period, researchers found that Hodgkin lymphoma did not progress at all in 65% of the patients receiving BV compared to 45% of those in the control group.
The investigators noted that the BV was well tolerated in patients. They named the most common side effects as peripheral neuropathy (67% BV vs 13% placebo) and neutropenia (35% BV vs 12% placebo).
The complete study is published in the March issue of The Lancet.
-Michelle Canales Butcher
Reference:
Moskowitz CH, Nademanee A, Masszi T. Brentuximab vedotin as consolidation therapy after autologous stem-cell transplantation in patient with Hodgkin’s lymphoma at risk of relapse or progression (AETHERA): a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial. Lancet. 2015 March [epub ahead of print] doi: dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(15)60165-9.