Treatment of newly diagnosed advanced stage Hodgkin lymphoma

ABVD continues to be the standard of care for patients with advanced stage Hodgkin Lymphoma (HL) although escalated BEACOPP has improved survival in one randomized controlled trial (RCT). More intensive regimens have higher rates of acute and late toxicities and this poses significant issues for patients. Consolidation strategies such as radiation or autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) have not demonstrated an improvement in overall survival in RCTs. Novel technology and therapeutics are leading us to investigate new questions. Interim FDG-PET scanning is now being tested in prospective studies. Small, typically retrospective trials suggest that interim PET scans are independent markers of outcome and current trials are piloting the use of PET-adapted therapy. Targeted therapeutics have been evaluated in the relapsed and refractory setting and now show promising single agent activity. Agents including brentuximab vedotin (a conjugated anti-CD30 monoclonal antibody) and the histone deacetylase inhibitor panabinostat have reported encouraging single agent activity and a large study of brentuximab vedotin maintenance post ASCT is underway. Combination and maintenance trials are planned or ongoing in the primary treatment setting that will hopefully improve on the treatment standards of the past decade. This review will discuss the current standard of care in advanced stage HL, summarize some of the current data regarding interim FDG-PET scans and will conclude with some issues related to the development of new agents that are likely to be involved in the future standard of therapy.