Evolving Therapy of Peripheral T-cell Lymphoma: 2010 and beyond

Complete hematologic response after belinostat treatment and allogeneic stem cell transplantation for multiple relapsed/refractory angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma: A case report

Key Clinical Message

This case report highlights the potential of belinostat for the treatment of relapsed/refractory peripheral T-cell lymphomas, for which effective therapies are still scarce.

Abstract

Peripheral T-cell lymphomas have an aggressive disease course associated with poor outcomes. We report a young patient with highly pretreated relapsed/refractory nodal follicular helper T-cell lymphoma (angioimmunoblastic-type [nTFHL-AI]), who successfully received an allogeneic stem cell transplantation following belinostat therapy. The complete hematologic response achieved has lasted more than 2 years.

T-cell therapies for T-cell lymphoma

T-cell lymphomas represent a subpopulation of non-Hodgkin lymphomas with poor outcomes when treated with conventional chemotherapy. A variety of novel agents have been introduced as new treatment strategies either as first-line treatment or in conjunction with chemotherapy. Immunotherapy has been demonstrated to be a promising area for new therapeutics, including monoclonal antibodies and adoptive cellular therapeutics. T-cell therapeutics have been shown to have significant success in the treatment of B-cell malignancies and are rapidly expanding as potential treatment options for other cancers including T-cell lymphomas. Although treating T-cell lymphomas with T-cell therapeutics has unique challenges, multiple targets are currently being studied both preclinically and in clinical trials.

Lymphomas of the head and neck region: an update

The field of haematopathology is rapidly evolving and for the non-specialized pathologist receiving a specimen with the possibility of a lymphoid malignancy may be a daunting experience. The coincidence of the publication, in 2017, of the WHO monographies on head and neck and haematopoietic and lymphoid tumours prompted us to write this review. Although not substantially different from lymphomas elsewhere, lymphomas presenting in this region pose some specific problems and these are central to the review. In addition, differences in subtype frequency and morphological variations within the same entity are discussed. The difficulty in diagnosis related to some specimens led us to briefly mention common subtypes of systemic lymphomas presenting in the head and neck region.

Refractory Septic Shock due to Underlying Immunocompromised Disease: A Case of Fatal Peripheral T-Cell Lymphoma Not Otherwise Specified in a Young Hispanic Woman

Peripheral T-cell lymphoma not otherwise specified (PTCL-NOS) is known as an unclassified group of non-Hodgkin lymphomas. PTCL-NOS is a subtype of peripheral T-cell lymphoma that accounts for 3% of all lymphomas in the United States. PTCL-NOS commonly presents as a disseminated disease, B symptoms (fever, night sweats, and weight loss), generalized lymphadenopathy, bone marrow infiltration, and extranodal involvement. Other rare and possible manifestations include peripheral eosinophilia, pruritus, or hemophagocytic syndrome. This type of lymphoma is aggressive in nature and carries a high mortality rate. There is no established standard-of-care treatment protocol for PTCL-NOS, several chemotherapy drug combinations are frequently used as a frontline treatment with an overall 5-year survival rate of 25%. We present a case of a 35-year old Hispanic woman who initially presented with a chief complaint of bilateral lower extremity swelling due to hypoalbuminemia and new-onset hyperkeratotic skin of the palms and soles.

The use of chimeric antigen receptor T cells in patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma

Resistance to conventional lines of therapy develops in approximately 20% of all patients with lymphoma. These patients have a dismal prognosis, with an expected median survival of 6.3 months. In recent years, T-cell immunotherapy has demonstrated a remarkable capacity to induce complete and durable clinical responses in patients with chemotherapy-refractory lymphoma. A major contributor to the success of immunotherapy has been the advent of genetic engineering technologies that introduce a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) into T cells to focus their killing activity on tumor cells. The adoptive transfer of autologous CAR T-cell products specific for the pan-B-cell antigen CD19 have now received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of relapsed or chemotherapy-resistant B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma. This review is designed to showcase the clinical efficacy and unique toxicities of individually developed CAR T-cell products for the treatment of lymphomas and their evolution from the laboratory bench to commercialization.

Phase II Study of Alemtuzumab (CAMPATH-1) in Patients with HTLV-1-Associated Adult T-cell Leukemia/lymphoma

PURPOSE

Therapeutic regimens for adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL) are limited with unsatisfactory results, thereby warranting development of novel therapies. This study investigated antitumor activity and toxicity of alemtuzumab with regard to response, duration of response, progression-free survival, and overall survival in patients with human T-cell lymphotropic virus-1 (HTLV-1)-associated ATL.

EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN

Twenty-nine patients with chronic, acute, and lymphomatous types of ATL were enrolled in a single-institution, nonrandomized, open-label phase II trial wherein patients received intravenous alemtuzumab 30 mg three times weekly for a maximum of 12 weeks.

RESULTS

Twenty-nine patients were evaluable for response and toxicity. The overall objective response was 15 of 29 patients [95% confidence interval (CI), 32.5%-70.6%]. The 15 patients who responded manifested a median time to response of 1.1 months. Median response duration was 1.4 months for the whole group and 14.5 months among responders. Median progression-free survival was 2.0 months. Median overall survival was 5.9 months. The most common adverse events were 2 with vasovagal episodes (7%) and 3 with hypotensive episodes (10%), leukopenia (41%) grade 3 and (17%) grade 4, lymphocytopenia (59%) grade 3, neutropenia (31%) grade 3, anemia (24%), and thrombocytopenia (10%). All patients developed cytomegalovirus antigenemia (CMV). Three were symptomatic and all responded to antiviral therapy. Grade 3 or 4 infections were reported in 4 (14%) of patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Alemtuzumab induced responses in patients with acute HTLV-1-associated ATL with acceptable toxicity, but with short duration of responses. These studies support inclusion of alemtuzumab in novel multidrug therapies for ATL. Clin Cancer Res; 23(1); 35-42. ©2016 AACR.

Peripheral T-cell and NK cell lymphoproliferative disorders: cell of origin, clinical and pathological implications

T-cell lymphoproliferative disorders are a heterogeneous group of neoplasms with distinct clinical-biological properties. The normal cellular counterpart of these processes has been postulated based on functional and immunophenotypic analyses. However, T lymphocytes have been proven to be remarkably capable of modulating their properties, adapting their function in relationship with multiple stimuli and to the microenvironment. This impressive plasticity is determined by the equilibrium among a pool of transcription factors and by DNA chromatin regulators. It is now proven that the acquisition of specific genomic defects leads to the enforcement/activation of distinct pathways, which ultimately alter the preferential activation of defined regulators, forcing the neoplastic cells to acquire features and phenotypes distant from their original fate. Thus, dissecting the landscape of the genetic defects and their functional consequences in T-cell neoplasms is critical not only to pinpoint the origin of these tumors but also to define innovative mechanisms to re-adjust an unbalanced state to which the tumor cells have become addicted and make them vulnerable to therapies and targetable by the immune system. In our review, we briefly describe the pathological and clinical aspects of the T-cell lymphoma subtypes as well as NK-cell lymphomas and then focus on the current understanding of their pathogenesis and the implications on diagnosis and treatment.

FDA Approval: Belinostat for the Treatment of Patients with Relapsed or Refractory Peripheral T-cell Lymphoma

On July 3, 2014, the FDA granted accelerated approval for belinostat (Beleodaq; Spectrum Pharmaceuticals, Inc.), a histone deacetylase inhibitor, for the treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL). A single-arm, open-label, multicenter, international trial in the indicated patient population was submitted in support of the application. Belinostat was administered intravenously at a dose of 1000 mg/m(2) over 30 minutes once daily on days 1 to 5 of a 21-day cycle. The primary efficacy endpoint was overall response rate (ORR) based on central radiology readings by an independent review committee. The ORR was 25.8% [95% confidence interval (CI), 18.3-34.6] in 120 patients that had confirmed diagnoses of PTCL by the Central Pathology Review Group. The complete and partial response rates were 10.8% (95% CI, 5.9-17.8) and 15.0% (95% CI, 9.1-22.7), respectively. The median duration of response, the key secondary efficacy endpoint, was 8.4 months (95% CI, 4.5-29.4). The most common adverse reactions (>25%) were nausea, fatigue, pyrexia, anemia, and vomiting. Grade 3/4 toxicities (≥5.0%) included anemia, thrombocytopenia, dyspnea, neutropenia, fatigue, and pneumonia. Belinostat is the third drug to receive accelerated approval for the treatment of relapsed or refractory PTCL.

Results from a pivotal, open-label, phase II study of romidepsin in relapsed or refractory peripheral T-cell lymphoma after prior systemic therapy

PURPOSE

Romidepsin is a structurally unique, potent class 1 selective histone deacetylase inhibitor. The primary objective of this international, pivotal, single-arm, phase II trial was to confirm the efficacy of romidepsin in patients with relapsed or refractory peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Patients who were refractory to at least one prior systemic therapy or for whom at least one prior systemic therapy failed received romidepsin at 14 mg/m(2) as a 4-hour intravenous infusion on days 1, 8, and 15 every 28 days. The primary end point was the rate of complete response/unconfirmed complete response (CR/CRu) as assessed by an independent review committee.

RESULTS

Of the 131 patients enrolled, 130 had histologically confirmed PTCL by central review. The median number of prior systemic therapies was two (range, one to eight). The objective response rate was 25% (33 of 130), including 15% (19 of 130) with CR/CRu. Patient characteristics, prior stem-cell transplantation, number or type of prior therapies, or response to last prior therapy did not have an impact on response rate. The median duration of response was 17 months, with the longest response ongoing at 34+ months. Of the 19 patients who achieved CR/CRu, 17 (89%) had not experienced disease progression at a median follow-up of 13.4 months. The most common grade ≥ 3 adverse events were thrombocytopenia (24%), neutropenia (20%), and infections (all types, 19%).

CONCLUSION

Single-agent romidepsin induced complete and durable responses with manageable toxicity in patients with relapsed or refractory PTCL across all major PTCL subtypes, regardless of the number or type of prior therapies. Results led to US Food and Drug Administration approval of romidepsin in this indication.