Prolonged Remission by Pembrolizumab and Brentuximab-Vedotin Combination Therapy in Heavily-Pretreated Relapsed/Refractory Hodgkin's Lymphoma

Anti-CD30 antibody-drug conjugate therapy in lymphoma: current knowledge, remaining controversies, and future perspectives

CD30 is overexpressed in several lymphoma types, including classic Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL), some peripheral T-cell lymphomas (PTCL), and some cutaneous T-cell lymphomas. The antibody-drug conjugate brentuximab vedotin targets CD30-positive cells and has been evaluated for the treatment of various lymphoma entities. This narrative review summarizes 10 years of experience with brentuximab vedotin for the treatment of CD30-positive lymphomas, discusses novel therapies targeting CD30 in development, and highlights remaining controversies relating to CD30-targeted therapy across lymphoma types. The collective body of evidence for brentuximab vedotin demonstrates that exploitation of CD30 can provide sustained benefits across a range of different CD30-positive lymphomas, in both clinical trials and real-world settings. Preliminary experience with brentuximab vedotin in combination with immune checkpoint inhibitors for relapsed/refractory cHL is encouraging, but further exploration is required. The optimal use of brentuximab vedotin for first-line therapy of PTCL remains to be determined. Further research is required on brentuximab vedotin treatment in high-risk patient populations, and in rare lymphoma subtypes, for which no standard of care exists. Novel therapies targeting CD30 include chimeric antigen receptor therapies and bispecific antibody T-cell engagers, which may be expected to further improve outcomes for patients with CD30-positive lymphomas in the coming years.

Classical Hodgkin's lymphoma with cutaneous involvement in an adolescent male: A case study

BACKGROUND

Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) with skin involvement is reasonably rare. It typically occurs late in the course and is associated with a poor prognosis; however, it may also be indolent in some cases.

CASE

We report a case of a 15-year-old previously healthy male with Hodgkin's lymphoma who presented with multiple lymphadenopathies of axilla and serpiginous ulcerative nodular lesions involving pectoral skin. A lymph node biopsy was performed following an initial diagnostic workup for a suspected active infectious disease, which revealed a neoplastic invasion from a mixed cellularity classical HL with skin involvement. A total of six cycles of ABVD (doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine) chemotherapy regimen was administered to the patient.

CONCLUSION

In comparison to other studies, this case demonstrates that a good response is possible with standard ABVD chemotherapy.