Romidepsin: a guide to its clinical use in cutaneous T-cell lymphoma

Intravenous romidepsin (Istodax®), a histone deacetylase inhibitor, is indicated in the US for the treatment of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) in adults who have received at least one prior systemic therapy. In two noncomparative trials in adults with relapsed, refractory, and/or advanced CTCL, romidepsin was associated with an overall response (i.e. complete or partial response) rate of 34% and 35%, and a complete response rate of 6% (in both trials). Romidepsin had an acceptable tolerability profile, with the most common grade 3 or 4 adverse events considered at least possibly related to romidepsin being hematologic or asthenic in nature.