Blood Res.  2020 Jun;55(2):85-90. 10.5045/br.2020.2020014.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors in patients with pretreated HodgkinÊs lymphoma: a Korean single-center, retrospective study

• Hur JY
• Yoon SE
• Kim SJ
• Kim WS

• KMID: 2503482
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5045/br.2020.2020014

Abstract

Background
Immune checkpoint inhibitors have demonstrated efficacy in the treatment of classical Hodgkin’s lymphoma (cHL). We analyzed the efficacy and safety of pembrolizumab or nivolumab in patients with pretreated cHL.
Methods
Clinical data from the cancer chemotherapy registry of Samsung Medical Center were retrospectively analyzed to study patients with cHL treated with pembrolizumab or nivolumab between Oct 2015 and Dec 2018.
Results
Of the 20 patients, seven (35%) were enrolled in the study after a relapse following autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (ASCT) and 12 (60%) after a relapse following receipt of brentuximab vedotin (BV). Sixteen (80%) patients received pembrolizumab, and four (20%) patients received nivolumab. The complete remission rate was 45% (9/20), and 30% (6/20) of patients achieved partial remission, for an overall response rate (RR) of 75% [15/20; 95% confidence interval (CI), 34.7‒93.3]. With a median follow-up duration of 14 months, the median PFS was 18 months (95% CI, 2.4‒33.5 mo), and the median OS was 36 months [95% CI, 36-not applicable (NA) mo]. Pembrolizumab and nivolumab were generally well tolerated.
Conclusion
In this study, pembrolizumab and nivolumab both demonstrated clinical efficacy and tolerability in patients with cHL who failed previous chemotherapy or ASCT.

Keyword

Pembrolizumab; Nivolumab; Hodgkin’s lymphoma

Figure

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  Fig. 1 Responses shown as (A) waterfall plot and (B) swimmer plot.

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  Fig. 2 Kaplan-Meier curves of progression-free survival (A) and overall survival (B) for all patients.

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