Nivolumab and brentuximab vedotin with or without bendamustine for R/R Hodgkin lymphoma in children, adolescents, and young adults.

Children, adolescents, and young adults (CAYA) with relapsed/refractory (R/R) classic Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) without complete metabolic response (CMR) before autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation (auto-HCT) have poor survival outcomes. CheckMate 744, a phase 2 study for CAYA (aged 5-30 years) with R/R cHL, evaluated a risk-stratified, response-adapted approach with nivolumab plus brentuximab vedotin (BV) followed by BV plus bendamustine for patients with suboptimal response. Risk stratification was primarily based on time to relapse, prior treatment, and presence of B symptoms. We present the primary analysis of the standard-risk cohort. Data from the low-risk cohort are reported separately. Patients received 4 induction cycles with nivolumab plus BV; those without CMR (Deauville score >3, Lugano 2014) received BV plus bendamustine intensification. Patients with CMR after induction or intensification proceeded to consolidation (high-dose chemotherapy/auto-HCT per protocol). Primary end point was CMR any time before consolidation. Forty-four patients were treated. Median age was 16 years. At a minimum follow-up of 15.6 months, 43 patients received 4 induction cycles (1 discontinued), 11 of whom received intensification; 32 proceeded to consolidation. CMR rate was 59% after induction with nivolumab plus BV and 94% any time before consolidation (nivolumab plus BV ± BV plus bendamustine). One-year progression-free survival rate was 91%. During induction, 18% of patients experienced grade 3/4 treatment-related adverse events. This risk-stratified, response-adapted salvage strategy had high CMR rates with limited toxicities in CAYA with R/R cHL. Most patients did not require additional chemotherapy (bendamustine intensification). Additional follow-up is needed to confirm durability of disease control. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT02927769.

Retrospective Analysis With Propensity Score Matching of Peripheral T-Cell Lymphoma Treated Frontline With Brentuximab Vedotin and Chemotherapy.

BACKGROUND: Since Food and Drug Administration approval of brentuximab vedotin in combination with cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, and prednisone (A + CHP) as initial therapy for previously untreated CD30-expressing peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL), there has been limited research on real-world patient characteristics, treatment patterns, and clinical outcomes. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed claims of patients with PTCL treated with frontline A + CHP or CHOP (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, prednisone) using the Symphony Health Solutions database. Adults with International Classification of Diseases-9/10 PTCL diagnosis codes who initiated A + CHP or CHOP between November 2018 and July 2021 were included. A 1:1 propensity score matching analysis was performed that adjusted for potential confounders between groups. RESULTS: A total of 1344 patients were included (A + CHP, n = 749; CHOP, n = 595). Before matching, 61% were men; median age at index was 62 (A + CHP) and 69 (CHOP) years. The most common A + CHP-treated PTCL subtypes were systemic anaplastic large cell lymphoma (sALCL; 51%), PTCL-not otherwise specified (NOS; 30%), and angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma (AITL; 12%); the most common CHOP-treated subtypes were PTCL-NOS (51%) and AITL (19%). After matching, similar proportions of patients treated with A + CHP and CHOP received granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (89% vs. 86%, P = .3). Fewer patients treated with A + CHP received subsequent therapy than CHOP overall (20% vs. 30%, P < .001) and specifically with the sALCL subtype (15% vs. 28%, P = .025). CONCLUSIONS: Characteristics and management of this real-world PTCL population who were older and had a higher comorbidity burden than that in the ECHELON-2 trial demonstrate the importance of retrospective studies when assessing the impact of new regimens on clinical practice.

Response to Brentuximab Vedotin by CD30 Expression in Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma.

BACKGROUND: The safety and efficacy of brentuximab vedotin (BV), an antibody-drug conjugate directed to the CD30 antigen, has been assessed in several trials in patients with peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL), cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL), or B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). The objective of this research was to examine the relationship between CD30 expression level and clinical response to BV. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We analyzed response in patients treated with BV monotherapy in 5 prospective clinical studies in relapsed or refractory PTCL, CTCL, or B-cell NHL. CD30 expression was assessed by immunohistochemistry (IHC) using the Ber H2 antibody for 275 patients. RESULTS: Across all 5 studies, 140 (50.9%) patients had tumors with CD30 expression <10%, including 60 (21.8%) with undetectable CD30 by IHC. No significant differences were observed for any study in overall response rates between patients with CD30 expression ≥10% or <10%. Median duration of response was also similar in the CD30 ≥10% and <10% groups for all studies. CONCLUSIONS: In this analysis of studies across a range of CD30-expressing lymphomas, CD30 expression alone, as measured by standard IHC, does not predict clinical benefit from BV, making the determination of a threshold level of expression uncertain.

Five-year PFS from the AETHERA trial of brentuximab vedotin for Hodgkin lymphoma at high risk of progression or relapse.

The phase 3 AETHERA trial established brentuximab vedotin (BV) as a consolidative treatment option for adult patients with classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) at high risk of relapse or progression after autologous hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (auto-HSCT). Results showed that BV significantly improved progression-free survival (PFS) vs placebo plus best supportive care alone. At 5-year follow-up, BV continued to provide patients with sustained PFS benefit; 5-year PFS was 59% (95% confidence interval [CI], 51-66) with BV vs 41% (95% CI, 33-49) with placebo (hazard ratio [HR], 0.521; 95% CI, 0.379-0.717). Similarly, patients with ≥2 risk factors in the BV arm experienced significantly higher PFS at 5 years than patients in the placebo arm (HR, 0.424; 95% CI, 0.302-0.596). Upfront consolidation with BV significantly delayed time to second subsequent therapy, an indicator of ongoing disease control, vs placebo. Peripheral neuropathy, the most common adverse event in patients receiving BV, continued to improve and/or resolve in 90% of patients. In summary, consolidation with BV in adult patients with cHL at high risk of relapse or progression after auto-HSCT confers a sustained PFS benefit and is safe and well tolerated. Physicians should consider each patient's HL risk factor profile when making treatment decisions. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT01100502.

Cost-Effectiveness of Brentuximab Vedotin Versus Physician's Choice of Methotrexate or Bexarotene for the Treatment of Cutaneous T-cell Lymphoma in Canada.

INTRODUCTION: Brentuximab vedotin versus physician's choice of methotrexate (MTX) or bexarotene (BEX) significantly improved progression-free survival (PFS) (median PFS, 16.7 vs. 3.5 months) and delayed time to subsequent treatment (8.4 vs. 3.7 months), with similar overall survival in patients with CD30-expressing mycosis fungoides (MF) or primary cutaneous anaplastic large cell lymphoma (pcALCL), two types of cutaneous T-cell lymphomas. We assessed the cost-effectiveness of brentuximab vedotin versus MTX or BEX from a Canadian healthcare payer perspective in the indicated population. METHODS: A 5-state partitioned survival model [pre-progression, non-stem cell transplant (SCT) post-progression, SCT, SCT relapse, death] with a weekly cycle length and 45-year lifetime horizon has been developed. Health-state occupancies, utility estimates, and treatment duration were informed by ALCANZA. Other inputs and costs came from the literature or clinician experts. Scenario analyses varied key parameters and tested assumptions. RESULTS: Brentuximab vedotin versus MTX or BEX was cost-effective; the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was CAN$43,790 per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) gained. Brentuximab vedotin was more effective (incremental life years: 0.15; QALYs: 0.25) and total treatment costs were slightly higher (incremental costs: $11,105) than MTX or BEX. Key model drivers included end-stage care duration, SCT eligibility, and brentuximab vedotin retreatment rates. CONCLUSION: Brentuximab vedotin compared with MTX or BEX was cost-effective for CD30-expressing MF and pcALCL. Brentuximab vedotin's higher drug costs versus MTX or BEX were offset by decreased post-progression and end-stage management costs, and showed a 0.25 QALY gain versus MTX or BEX, and increased the proportion of patients eligible for potentially curative SCT.

Nivolumab combined with brentuximab vedotin for R/R primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma: a 3-year follow-up.

Patients with relapsed/refractory primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma (R/R PMBL) have poor responses to salvage therapy. Nivolumab and brentuximab vedotin (BV) showed promising early efficacy in patients with R/R PMBL in the phase 1/2 open-label, multicenter CheckMate 436 study; we report safety and efficacy findings from the 3-year follow-up. Patients who were eligible were aged ≥15 years with R/R PMBL previously treated with either high-dose chemotherapy plus autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) or ≥2 prior multiagent chemotherapies, and had Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status scores of 0 to 1 and CD30 expression of ≥1%. Patients were treated with nivolumab 240 mg and BV 1.8 mg/kg once every 3 weeks until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Primary end point was objective response rate (ORR); secondary end points included complete response rate, duration of response, progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS). Safety was monitored throughout. At final database lock (30 March 2022), 29 patients had received nivolumab plus BV; median follow-up was 39.6 months. Investigator-assessed ORR was 73.3%; median time to response was 1.3 months (range, 1.1-4.8). Median PFS was 26.0 months; median OS was not reached. PFS and OS rates at 24 months were 55.5% (95% confidence interval [CI], 32.0-73.8) and 75.5% (95% CI, 55.4-87.5), respectively. The most frequently occurring grade 3/4 treatment-related adverse event was neutropenia. Consolidative HCT was received by 12 patients, with a 100-day complete response rate of 100.0%. This 3-year follow-up showed long-term efficacy for nivolumab plus BV in R/R PMBL, with no new safety signals. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT02581631.

Best Practices in CD30 Immunohistochemistry Testing, Interpretation, and Reporting: An Expert Panel Consensus.

CONTEXT.­: Although CD30 testing is an established tool in the diagnostic workup of lymphomas, it is also emerging as a predictive biomarker that informs treatment. The current definition of CD30 positivity by immunohistochemistry is descriptive and based on reactivity in lymphomas that are defined by their universal strong expression of CD30, rather than any established threshold. Challenges include inconsistencies with preanalytic variables, tissue processing, pathologist readout, and with the pathologist and oncologist interpretation of reported results. OBJECTIVE.­: To develop and propose general best practice recommendations for reporting CD30 expression by immunohistochemistry in lymphoma biopsies to harmonize practices across institutions and facilitate assessment of its significance in clinical decision-making. DESIGN.­: Following literature review and group discussion, the panel of 14 academic hematopathologists and 2 clinical/academic hematologists/oncologists divided into 3 working groups. Each working group was tasked with assessing CD30 testing by immunohistochemistry, CD30 expression readout, or CD30 expression interpretation. RESULTS.­: Panel recommendations were reviewed and discussed. An online survey was conducted to confirm the consensus recommendations. CONCLUSIONS.­: CD30 immunohistochemistry is required for all patients in whom classic Hodgkin lymphoma and any lymphoma within the spectrum of peripheral T-cell lymphoma are differential diagnostic considerations. The panel reinforced and summarized that immunohistochemistry is the preferred methodology and any degree of CD30 expression should be reported. For diagnostic purposes, the interpretation of CD30 expression should follow published guidelines. To inform therapeutic decisions, report estimated percent positive expression in tumor cells (or total cells where applicable) and record descriptively if nontumor cells are positive.

Cost-effectiveness of brentuximab vedotin plus chemotherapy for previously untreated CD30-positive peripheral T-cell lymphoma in Canada.

AIMS: To support reimbursement requests in Canada, we evaluated the cost-effectiveness of brentuximab vedotin (Adcetris) in combination with cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, and prednisone (A + CHP) compared with cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (CHOP) as frontline treatment for CD30-expressing peripheral T-cell lymphomas (PTCLs) using results from the ECHELON-2 clinical trial. The PTCL subtypes included were systemic anaplastic large cell lymphoma (sALCL), PTCL-not otherwise specified (PTCL-NOS), and angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma (AITL). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A partitioned survival model consisting of three health states (progression-free survival [PFS], post-progression survival [PPS], and death) was constructed from the perspective of the Canadian publicly funded healthcare system over a lifetime horizon. Efficacy, safety, and health-related quality-of-life (HRQoL) data were obtained from ECHELON-2. Medical resource use and costs were derived from Canadian literature and standard sources. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) per life-years (LYs) and quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) gained were calculated. Sensitivity analyses were performed to account for uncertainty in key parameters. All costs are reported in Canadian dollars. RESULTS: A + CHP, when compared with CHOP, was associated with an estimated mean gain of 2.90 LYs and 2.38 QALYs and a mean incremental cost of $76,491. The ICER for A + CHP compared with CHOP was estimated at $26,340 per LY gained and $32,177 per QALY gained. In sensitivity analyses, the ICERs remained below $60,000 per QALY gained. Time horizon, patient starting age, and discount rate affected the results, as the ICER was driven by long-term survival gains observed with A + CHP compared with CHOP. LIMITATIONS: Real-world downstream treatments (such as stem cell transplantation) may differ from the treatment protocol followed in the ECHELON-2 trial. CONCLUSIONS: A + CHP compared with CHOP provides a cost-effective treatment option with improved clinical outcomes that are clinically relevant and a comparable safety profile for adults with previously untreated CD30-expressing sALCL, PTCL-NOS, or AITL in Canada.

Health Care Resource Utilization and Costs Among Medicare Beneficiaries Newly Diagnosed With Peripheral T-cell Lymphoma: A Retrospective Claims Analysis.

BACKGROUND: There are limited data on the treatment patterns, health care resource utilization (HRU), survival outcomes, and medical costs among Medicare beneficiaries newly diagnosed with peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL). PATIENTS AND METHODS: This was a retrospective analysis of data from the Medicare Fee-For-Service claims database using the 100% sample of the Medicare research identifiable files. Patients identified for analysis were aged ≥ 65 years and had received a PTCL diagnosis between January 2011 and December 2017. Outcomes included patient characteristics, HRU, direct all-cause and PTCL-specific health care costs, treatment patterns, and overall survival. Patients were followed until disenrollment, death, or end of the study period. RESULTS: Overall, 2551 patients with PTCL were included, among whom 37% had ≥ 1 emergency department visit and 42% had ≥ 1 hospitalization during the pre-index period. During follow-up (median, 2.0 years), 70% of patients were hospitalized at least once (mean length of stay, 1.34 days); 22% advanced to hospice care. A total of 1593 patients received ≥ 1 identifiable treatment regimen post index, of whom 26% received CHOP (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, prednisone) and 3% CHOEP (CHOP plus etoposide), whereas 71% received other regimens. The median overall survival among patients receiving identifiable therapy was 4.6 years. The mean adjusted per-person-per-month all-cause costs among the overall PTCL cohort during follow-up were $5930; the mean disease-related costs were $2384. Costs were driven primarily by hospitalizations (38%) and outpatient services (28%). CONCLUSIONS: Medicare beneficiaries newly diagnosed with PTCL have high HRU and cost burden, with no evident standard of care in real-world practice.

Randomized phase 3 ALCANZA study of brentuximab vedotin vs physician's choice in cutaneous T-cell lymphoma: final data.

The primary analysis of the phase 3 ALCANZA trial showed significantly improved objective responses lasting ≥4 months (ORR4; primary endpoint) and progression-free survival (PFS) with brentuximab vedotin vs physician's choice (methotrexate or bexarotene) in CD30-expressing mycosis fungoides (MF) or primary cutaneous anaplastic large-cell lymphoma (C-ALCL). Cutaneous T-cell lymphomas often cause pruritus and pain; brentuximab vedotin improved skin symptom burden with no negative effects on quality of life. We report final data from ALCANZA (median follow-up, 45.9 months). Adults with previously treated CD30-expressing MF/C-ALCL were randomly assigned to brentuximab vedotin (n = 64) or physician's choice (n = 64). Final data demonstrated improved responses per independent review facility with brentuximab vedotin vs physician's choice: ORR4; 54.7% vs 12.5% (P < .001); complete response, 17.2% vs 1.6% (P = .002). Median PFS with brentuximab vedotin vs physician's choice was 16.7 months vs 3.5 months (P < .001). Median time to the next treatment was significantly longer with brentuximab vedotin than with physician's choice (14.2 vs 5.6 months; hazard ratio, 0.27; 95% confidence interval, 0.17-0.42; P < .001). Of 44 patients in the brentuximab vedotin arm who experienced any-grade peripheral neuropathy, (grade 3, n = 6; grade 4, n = 0), 86% (38 of 44) had complete resolution (26 of 44) or improvement to grades 1 and 2 (12 of 44). Peripheral neuropathy was ongoing in 18 patients (all grades 1-2). These final analyses confirm improved, clinically meaningful, durable responses and longer PFS with brentuximab vedotin vs physician's choice in CD30-expressing MF or C-ALCL. This trial was registered at https://www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT01578499.

Response to brentuximab vedotin versus physician's choice by CD30 expression and large cell transformation status in patients with mycosis fungoides: An ALCANZA sub-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Mycosis fungoides (MF), the most common type of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, can lead to disfiguring lesions, debilitating pruritus and frequent skin infections. This study assessed response to brentuximab vedotin in patients with MF in the phase III ALCANZA study. METHODS: Baseline CD30 levels and large-cell transformation (LCT) status were centrally reviewed in patients with previously-treated CD30-positive MF using ≥2 skin biopsies obtained at screening; eligible patients required ≥1 biopsy with ≥10% CD30 expression. Patients were categorised as CD30min < 10% (≥1 biopsy with <10% CD30 expression), or CD30min ≥ 10% (all biopsies with ≥10% CD30 expression) and baseline LCT present or absent. Efficacy analyses were the proportion of patients with objective response lasting ≥4 months (ORR4) and progression-free survival (PFS). RESULTS: Clinical activity with brentuximab vedotin was observed across all CD30 expression levels in patients with ≥1 biopsy showing ≥10% CD30 expression. Superior ORR4 was observed with brentuximab vedotin versus physician's choice in patients: with CD30min < 10% (40.9% versus 9.5%), with CD30min ≥ 10% (57.1% versus 10.3%), with LCT (64.7% versus 17.6%) and without LCT (38.7% versus 6.5%). Brentuximab vedotin improved median PFS versus physician's choice in patients: with CD30min < 10% (16.7 versus 2.3 months), with CD30min ≥ 10% (15.5 versus 3.9 months), with LCT (15.5 versus 2.8 months) and without LCT (16.1 versus 3.5 months). Safety profiles were generally comparable across subgroups. CONCLUSION: These exploratory analyses demonstrated that brentuximab vedotin improved rates of ORR4 and PFS versus physician's choice in patients with CD30-positive MF and ≥1 biopsy showing ≥10% CD30 expression, regardless of LCT status. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrials.gov, NCT01578499.

Patient-reported quality of life in patients with relapsed/refractory cutaneous T-cell lymphoma: Results from the randomised phase III ALCANZA study.

BACKGROUND: Brentuximab vedotin was approved for adult patients with CD30-expressing cutaneous T-cell lymphoma treated with prior systemic therapy based on improved response rates and progression-free survival with brentuximab vedotin (1.8 mg/kg once every 3 weeks; ≤16 cycles) versus physician's choice (methotrexate/bexarotene; ≤48 weeks) in the phase III ALCANZA study. Quality of life (QoL) in ALCANZA patients was also examined. METHODS: QoL measures in ALCANZA were based on the Skindex-29, Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General (FACT-G) and European QoL 5-dimension (EQ-5D) questionnaires. RESULTS: Mean maximum reduction from the baseline Skindex-29 symptom domain score (key secondary end-point) was greater with brentuximab vedotin than physician's choice (-27.96 versus -8.62); the difference, -18.9 (95% confidence interval -26.6, -11.2; adjusted p < 0.001), exceeded the study-defined minimally important difference (9.0-12.3). Mean changes from baseline to end-of-treatment visit total FACT-G scores were similar with brentuximab vedotin and physician's choice (0.15 versus -2.29). EQ-5D changes were also comparable between arms. Among brentuximab vedotin-treated patients with peripheral neuropathy (PN), mean maximum reduction in Skindex-29 symptom domain was -35.54 versus -11.11 in patients without PN. PN had no meaningful effect on FACT-G and EQ-5D QoL scores. CONCLUSIONS: In summary, brentuximab vedotin produced superior reductions in symptom burden compared with physician's choice, without adversely impacting QoL. QoL was unaffected by the presence of PN in brentuximab vedotin-treated patients. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT01578499.