scholarly journals Immunotherapy in Hodgkin Lymphoma: Present Status and Future Strategies

Cancers ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 1071 ◽  
Author(s):  
Theodoros P. Vassilakopoulos ◽  
Chrysovalantou Chatzidimitriou ◽  
John V. Asimakopoulos ◽  
Maria Arapaki ◽  
Evangelos Tzoras ◽  
...  

Although classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) is usually curable, 20–30% of the patients experience treatment failure and most of them are typically treated with salvage chemotherapy and autologous stem cell transplantation (autoSCT). However, 45–55% of that subset further relapse or progress despite intensive treatment. At the advanced stage of the disease course, recently developed immunotherapeutic approaches have provided very promising results with prolonged remissions or disease stabilization in many patients. Brentuximab vedotin (BV) has been approved for patients with relapsed/refractory cHL (rr-cHL) who have failed autoSCT, as a consolidation after autoSCT in high-risk patients, as well as for patients who are ineligible for autoSCT or multiagent chemotherapy who have failed ≥ two treatment lines. However, except of the consolidation setting, 90–95% of the patients will progress and require further treatment. In this clinical setting, immune checkpoint inhibitors (CPIs) have produced impressive results. Both nivolumab and pembrolizumab have been approved for rr-cHL after autoSCT and BV failure, while pembrolizumab has also been licensed for transplant ineligible patients after BV failure. Other CPIs, sintilimab and tislelizumab, have been successfully tested in China, albeit in less heavily pretreated populations. Recent data suggest that the efficacy of CPIs may be augmented by hypomethylating agents, such as decitabine. As a result of their success in heavily pretreated disease, BV and CPIs are moving to earlier lines of treatment. BV was recently licensed by the FDA for the first-line treatment of stage III/IV Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) in combination with AVD (only stage IV according to the European Medicines Agency (EMA)). CPIs are currently being evaluated in combination with AVD in phase II trials of first-line treatment. The impact of BV and CPIs was also investigated in the setting of second-line salvage therapy. Finally, combinations of targeted therapies are under evaluation. Based on these exciting results, it appears reasonable to predict that an improvement in survival and a potential increase in the cure rates of cHL will soon become evident.

Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (15) ◽  
pp. 3745
Author(s):  
Hélène Vellemans ◽  
Marc P. E. André

Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) is a lymphoid-type hematologic disease that is derived from B cells. The incidence of this lymphoid malignancy is around 2–3/100,000/year in the western world. Long-term remission rates are linked to a risk-adapted approach, which allows remission rates higher than 80%. The first-line treatment for advanced stage classical HL (cHL) widely used today is doxorubicin, bleomycin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine (ABVD) or escalated bleomycin, etoposide, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, procarbazine, and prednisone (BEACOPPesc) chemotherapy. Randomized studies comparing these two regimens and a recently performed meta-analysis have demonstrated consistently better disease control with BEACOPPesc. However, this treatment is not the standard of care, as there is an excess of acute hematological toxicities and therapy-related myeloid neoplasms. Moreover, there is a recurrent controversy concerning the impact on overall survival with this regimen. More recently, new drugs such as brentuximab vedotin and checkpoint inhibitors have become available and have been evaluated in combination with doxorubicin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine (AVD) for the first-line treatment of patients with advanced cHL with the objective of tumor control improvement. There are still major debates with respect to first-line treatment of advanced cHL. The use of positron emission tomography-adapted strategies has allowed a reduction in the toxicity of chemotherapy regimens. Incorporation of new drugs into the treatment algorithms requires confirmation.


2021 ◽  
Vol 39 (28_suppl) ◽  
pp. 300-300
Author(s):  
Anthony Sireci ◽  
Peter M Krein ◽  
Lisa M. Hess ◽  
Taha Khan ◽  
Joanne P. Willey ◽  
...  

300 Background: This study evaluated rates of biomarker testing for patients with stage IV non-squamous NSCLC, which is known to have a ̃40% biomarker-positive rate (AMP, 2020), in a community-based oncology practice setting in the United States (US). Methods: A retrospective study was performed using data from a US electronic medical record database of patients aged ≥18 years with an initial diagnosis (index dx) of stage IV non-squamous NSCLC between Jan 1, 2015 and Dec 31, 2019. Unstructured data on molecular biomarker testing (single-gene and next-generation sequencing [NGS]-based) were abstracted from patient charts utilizing Natural Language Processing for EGFR mutation, ALK rearrangement, BRAF mutation, ROS1 rearrangement, MET exon14 mutation, RET fusion, NTRK fusion, and PD-L1 expression. Systemic therapy was obtained from structured data. Data were summarized using descriptive statistics. This study received a waiver of consent from Advarra IRB. Results: Of 646 patients identified in the database, 500 met all inclusion criteria and are included in this analysis. The majority (73.8%) were diagnosed in 2018 (n = 162; 32.4%) and 2019 (n = 207; 41.4%). Mean age (SD) was 70.0 (10.1) years, with 53.2% female. A total of 447 (89.4%) were tested for at least one biomarker after index diagnosis of which 81.2% (n = 406) had at least one single-gene test; 54.8% (n = 274) had an NGS test and 66.8% were tested for PD-L1. Single-gene or NGS-based testing was > 85% of patients across all index years. The use of NGS-based tests ranged from 35.0% among patients whose first diagnosis was in 2015 to 59.4% in 2019. Overall, 85.4% (n = 427) of the cohort received first-line treatment with chemotherapy (53.6%), immunotherapy (48.2%), or targeted therapy (14.2%). Among patients who received biomarker tests, 15.4% received targeted treatment and 49.7% received immunotherapy treatment, including checkpoint inhibitors, during first-line treatment. Conclusions: NGS testing utilization increased during the study period and by 2019, 59% of patients received NGS-based testing. Opportunities persist for practices to improve testing and achieve guideline recommendations. PD-L1 biomarker testing was performed amongst the highest proportion of patients in this study and nearly 50% of all patients received immunotherapy, including checkpoint inhibitors. Targeted therapy was used in 14.2% of this population, suggesting that patients with actionable biomarkers may not be receiving targeted treatment for their disease, potentially due to gaps in testing among patients in this dataset.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (14) ◽  
pp. 7717
Author(s):  
Guido Giordano ◽  
Pietro Parcesepe ◽  
Giuseppina Bruno ◽  
Annamaria Piscazzi ◽  
Vincenzo Lizzi ◽  
...  

Target-oriented agents improve metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) survival in combination with chemotherapy. However, the majority of patients experience disease progression after first-line treatment and are eligible for second-line approaches. In such a context, antiangiogenic and anti-Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) agents as well as immune checkpoint inhibitors have been approved as second-line options, and RAS and BRAF mutations and microsatellite status represent the molecular drivers that guide therapeutic choices. Patients harboring K- and N-RAS mutations are not eligible for anti-EGFR treatments, and bevacizumab is the only antiangiogenic agent that improves survival in combination with chemotherapy in first-line, regardless of RAS mutational status. Thus, the choice of an appropriate therapy after the progression to a bevacizumab or an EGFR-based first-line treatment should be evaluated according to the patient and disease characteristics and treatment aims. The continuation of bevacizumab beyond progression or its substitution with another anti-angiogenic agents has been shown to increase survival, whereas anti-EGFR monoclonals represent an option in RAS wild-type patients. In addition, specific molecular subgroups, such as BRAF-mutated and Microsatellite Instability-High (MSI-H) mCRCs represent aggressive malignancies that are poorly responsive to standard therapies and deserve targeted approaches. This review provides a critical overview about the state of the art in mCRC second-line treatment and discusses sequential strategies according to key molecular biomarkers.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (Suppl 3) ◽  
pp. A292-A292
Author(s):  
Sophie Wildsmith ◽  
Jill Walker ◽  
Anne L’Hernault ◽  
Weimin Li ◽  
Hannah Bye ◽  
...  

BackgroundThe phase III DANUBE study assessed the efficacy of the PD-L1 inhibitor durvalumab (D), alone or in combination with the CTLA-4 inhibitor tremelimumab (T), versus standard of care chemotherapy (SoC) for the first-line treatment of unresectable, locally advanced or metastatic UC. The study did not meet its co-primary endpoints of improving overall survival (OS) for D monotherapy vs SoC in patients with high tumor PD-L1 expression or for D+T vs SoC in the intention-to-treat population.1 TMB measurement in blood (bTMB) or tumour (tTMB) has been linked to improved efficacy with PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors in UC and with D+T in non-small cell lung cancer,2 thus providing a rationale to explore TMB in the DANUBE trial.MethodsBaseline plasma samples from DANUBE were assessed for bTMB using the Guardant OMNI platform, while baseline tTMB was measured in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tumour samples using the FoundationOne CDx gene panel. Associations between progression-free survival (PFS) and median and landmark OS with bTMB and tTMB levels at various cutoffs were assessed as part of a pre-specified exploratory analysis. The data cutoff occurred on January 27, 2020.ResultsAmong 1032 patients randomised in DANUBE, 536 (51.9%) were evaluable for bTMB and 623 (60.4%) were evaluable for tTMB. For D vs SoC, bTMB and tTMB were not associated with OS or PFS at any cutoff. For D+T, stronger associations between bTMB and OS as well as PFS were observed with increasing bTMB cutoffs (table 1). At the bTMB cutoff ≥ 24 mut/Mb, 12-month OS rates were 76.7% for D+T and 54.3% for SoC, whereas for bTMB < 24 mut/Mb, 12-month OS rates were 53.4% for D+T and 51.2% for SoC. Similar trends for both OS and PFS were observed with tTMB (table 1).Abstract 266 Table 1Association between TMB and survival outcomes with D+TAssociation between TMB and survival outcomes with D+TConclusionsBoth bTMB and tTMB are potentially useful biomarkers for enriching responses to D+T in previously untreated, advanced UC. Neither bTMB nor tTMB was associated with better outcomes for D monotherapy. Cutoffs of 24 mut/Mb for bTMB and 10 mut/Mb for tTMB appear optimal for D+T in the setting of previously untreated, advanced UC.Trial RegistrationThe trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02516241, and the EU Clinical Trials Register, EudraCT number 2015-001633-24.ReferencesAstraZeneca. Update on phase III DANUBE trial for IMFINZI and tremelimumab in unresectable, stage IV bladder cancer [press release] March 6, 2020. [https://www.astrazeneca.com/media-centre/press-releases/2020/update-on-phase-iii-danube-trial-for-imfinzi-and-tremelimumab-in-unresectable-stage-iv-bladder-cancer-06032020.html]Rizvi NA, Cho BC, Reinmuth N, et al. Durvalumab with or without tremelimumab vs standard chemotherapy in first-line treatment of metastatic non-small cell lung cancer: The MYSTIC phase 3 randomized clinical trial. JAMA Oncol. 2020:6:661–674.Ethics ApprovalThe study protocol was approved by the Ethics Board at each investigator’s institution.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Caterina Strisciuglio ◽  
Felicity Payne ◽  
Komal Nayak ◽  
Marialuisa Andreozzi ◽  
Alessandra Vitale ◽  
...  

AbstractEosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is a leading cause of dysphagia and food impaction in children and adults. The diagnosis relies on histological examination of esophageal mucosal biopsies and requires the presence of > 15 eosinophils per high-powered field. Potential pitfalls include the impact of biopsy sectioning as well as regional variations of eosinophil density. We performed genome-wide DNA methylation analyses on 30 esophageal biopsies obtained from children diagnosed with EoE (n = 7) and matched controls (n = 13) at the time of diagnosis as well as following first-line treatment. Analyses revealed striking disease-associated differences in mucosal DNA methylation profiles in children diagnosed with EoE, highlighting the potential for these epigenetic signatures to be developed into clinically applicable biomarkers.


2012 ◽  
Vol 30 (28) ◽  
pp. 3533-3539 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arnauld Verschuur ◽  
Harm Van Tinteren ◽  
Norbert Graf ◽  
Christophe Bergeron ◽  
Bengt Sandstedt ◽  
...  

Purpose The purpose of this study was to determine the outcome of children with nephroblastoma and pulmonary metastases (PM) treated according to International Society of Pediatric Oncology (SIOP) 93-01 recommendations using pulmonary radiotherapy (RT) in selected patients. Patients and Methods Patients (6 months to 18 years) were treated with preoperative chemotherapy consisting of 6 weeks of vincristine, dactinomycin, and epirubicin or doxorubicin. If pulmonary complete remission (CR) was not obtained, metastasectomy was considered. Patients in CR received three-drug postoperative chemotherapy, whereas patients not in CR were switched to a high-risk (HR) regimen with an assessment at week 11. If CR was not obtained, pulmonary RT was mandatory. Results Two hundred thirty-four of 1,770 patients had PM. Patients with PM were older (P < .001) and had larger tumor volumes compared with nonmetastatic patients (P < .001). Eighty-four percent of patients were in CR postoperatively, with 17% requiring metastasectomy. Thirty-five patients (16%) had multiple inoperable PM and required the HR protocol. Only 14% of patients received pulmonary RT during first-line treatment. For patients with PM, 5-year event-free survival rate was 73% (95% CI, 68% to 79%), and 5-year overall survival (OS) rate was 82% (95% CI, 77% to 88%). Five-year OS was similar for patients with local stage I and II disease (92% and 90%, respectively) but lower for patients with local stage III disease (68%; P < .001). Patients in CR after chemotherapy only and patients in CR after chemotherapy and metastasectomy had a better outcome than patients with multiple unresectable PM (5-year OS, 88%, 92%, and 48%, respectively; P < .001). Conclusion Following the SIOP protocol, pulmonary RT can be omitted for a majority of patients with PM and results in a relatively good outcome.


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