BV therapeutic study reports can be curative in some patients with Hodgkin lymphoma -
survival data to five years published online today Blood , the Journal of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) suggest that brentuximab vedotin targeted therapy may have cured Hodgkin lymphoma patients whose disease has persisted despite receiving previous therapies.
This multinational phase II study examines brentuximab vedotin (BV) in patients with relapsed Hodgkin after a stem cell transplant. The study reports that 13 of 34 (38%) patients achieved complete remission remained disease-free for more than five years and can be cured. Of these, nine were only one agent BV.
BV is an immunotherapy that targets CD30, a protein on the surface of some Hodgkin's lymphoma cells, and delivers an effective dose of chemotherapy to destroy the cell. The therapy is approved by the Food and Drug Administration of the United States for relapsed or refractory Hodgkin lymphoma treatment and is generally prescribed to patients whose disease has progressed after autologous stem cell transplantation, a procedure that replenishes bone marrow with its own healthy stem cells patient after therapy. While BV is standard care, this is the first study to observe the long-term success in these patients who have exhausted other treatment options.
"In a patient population that typically sees an overall survival of one to two years after relapse autologous stem cell transplant, the fact that we can report such lasting results after five is incredible" ., said lead author Robert Chen, MD, City of Hope Cancer Research Center in Duarte, Calif Referencing the 15 patients still in remission at the end of this longitudinal study, Dr. Chen said: "Every day that these people continue to spend with their families is a testimony to the progress of our community makes to understanding and fighting treatment-resistant lymphoma. "
in this study, 102 patients with Hodgkin lymphoma CD30-positive have one dose (1.8 mg / kg) of BV ambulatory intravenous infusion every three weeks for up to 16 cycles. Before starting the trial, these patients had failed to achieve remission for a median of 3.5 therapies, including stem cell transplantation, which prior BV, was the only potentially curative treatment for those who have failed standard chemotherapy . The researchers followed the patients for their initial response (either complete or partial tumor reduction) until disease progression or death and further study for about five years after the final treatment.
At five years, 34 of 102 patients had achieved a complete response (disappearance of their cancer for a period of time), with about 64 percent of patients who survive with or without disease (median overall survival five years was 40.5 months) and it is estimated that 52 percent survived without disease progression. Of these 34 patients, 13 (38%) remained in remission for five years, and an additional two patients whose disease has not progressed after BV continued to achieve remission after receiving an allogeneic stem cell transplant ( in which healthy stem cells are taken from a donor and administered to the patient). Both patients also remain in remission five years later.
"It is essential to note that nine of the complete response patients were in remission for more than five years after receiving only brentuximab vedotin," said Dr. Chen, "The fact that these patients are so well even in five years, provides a new perspective for the prognosis. "
Dr. Chen has continued to stress that although 56 patients treated in the study experienced a slight peripheral neuropathy (adverse events characterized by tingling in the extremities, frequently reported in patients treated with BV), 88 percent reported that the symptoms diminished over time.
Currently, BV is the subject of several clinical trials. Among these are the use of BV prior autologous stem cell transplantation in patients with Hodgkin's lymphoma, to process additional CD30-positive lymphomas, and in patients with lymphoma in relapse or refractory to treatment not -hodgkinien.
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