LYMPHOMAS

Following the 2019 ASH Annual Meeting, Targeted Oncology spoke with experts from various specialties in hematology. The experts highlighted some of the top abstracts from the meeting that will impact the way multiple myeloma, leukemias, MPNs, and lymphomas are treated.

Heavily pretreated patients with relapsed/refractory B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma demonstrated antitumor activity when treated with varying dose levels of the human IgG4-based anti-CD20 × anti-CD3 bispecific monoclonalantibody, REGN1979. 

The administration of a higher initial dose of duvelisib at 75 mg BID led to a higher overall response rate of 62% compared with 40% in patients with relapsed/refractory peripheral T-cell lymphoma who received 25 mg BID, according to data from the dose-optimization phase of the PRIMO trial presented at the 2019 American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting.<br /> &nbsp;

In the final analysis of the GADOLIN study in patients with rituximab-refractory indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma, the combination of obinutuzumab plus bendamustine reduced the risk of progression or death by 43% compared with bendamustine alone. In patients with follicular lymphoma, the reduction was 49%.

A 100% overall response rate was achieved with the combination of lenalidomide and obinutuzumab in patients with relapsed indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma that was refractory to rituximab, according to findings of a single-arm, phase I/II trial presented at the 2019 American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting and Exposition.<br /> &nbsp;

Findings from a subgroup analysis of the phase III AUGMENT trial of patients aged 70 or older with indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma showed a 34% reduction in the risk of disease progression or death compared with rituximab plus placebo, according data presented at the 2019 American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting and Exposition.<br /> &nbsp;

A high rate of rapid and durable complete responses were observed in patients with aggressive relapsed/refractory large B-cell lymphoma treated with lisocabtagene maraleucel.

Patients with&nbsp;refractory large B-cell lymphoma who were treated with Axi-cel had a&nbsp;3-year overall survival rate of 47%, according to an updated analysis of the&nbsp;phase II ZUMA-1 trial.&nbsp;

Complete remissions were achieved in greater than 20% of patients&nbsp;with highly refractory non-Hodgkin lymphomas who had been&nbsp;previously been treated with chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy with&nbsp;Mosunetuzumab, a novel bispecific antibody,&nbsp;according to study results presented at the 2019 American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting.

Hodgkin lymphoma represents approximately 10% of all cases of malignant lymphoma. This group of diseases most commonly affects adolescent and young adults, although approximately 20% to 25% of patients are aged &ge;60 years at diagnosis.

Andrew M. Evens, DO, MSc, discusses the significance of the results from the phase III ECHELON-1 trial in which patients with stage III/IV classical Hodgkin lymphoma were treated with the combination of brentuximab vedotin plus doxorubicin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine.

In November 2019, the FDA approved a number of treatments, including acalabrutinib for the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia and small lymphocytic leukemia, as well as zanubrutinib for the treatment of mantle cell lymphoma. A biosimilar for pegfilgrastim was also approved under indications.

Hodgkin lymphoma represents approximately 10% of all cases of malignant lymphoma. This group of diseases most commonly affects adolescent and young adults, although approximately 20% to 25% of patients are aged &ge;60 years at diagnosis. Advanced-stage disease is generally classified as Ann Arbor stage III to IV, but clinical trials often incorporate patients with high-risk stage II disease, such as those with B symptoms, multiple sites, or bulky disease

The phase III B-MIND study of the investigational humanized Fc-engineered monoclonal antibody, tafasitamab plus bendamustine versus rituximab plus bendamustine for treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, has passed the pre-planned, event-driven interim analysis for futility, resulting in a recommendation to increase the number of study participants from 330 to 450, according to a press release from MorphoSys.

Basem William, MD, discusses challenges in treating patients with cutaneous and peripheral T-cell lymphomas, as well as the challenges in conducting clinical trials in this patient population.