Objective responses in relapsed T-cell lymphomas with single-agent brentuximab vedotin

This phase 2, open-label, multicenter study evaluated the efficacy and safety of brentuximab vedotin, a CD30-directed antibody-drug conjugate, in relapsed/refractory CD30(+) non-Hodgkin lymphomas. The primary end point was objective response rate (ORR). Key secondary end points included safety, correlation of CD30 expression with response, response duration, and progression-free survival (PFS). Brentuximab vedotin 1.8 mg/kg was administered every 3 weeks until progression or unacceptable toxicity. This planned subset analysis included patients with peripheral T-cell lymphomas (PTCLs; n = 35), specifically angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma (AITL; n = 13) and PTCL not otherwise specified (n = 22). Median age was 64 years; 63% were refractory to most recent therapy. Of 34 evaluable patients, ORR was 41% (8 complete remissions [CRs], 6 partial remissions [PRs]), and ORR was 54% in AITL (5 CRs, 2 PRs) with median PFS of 6.7 months thus far. No correlation between CD30 expression per central review and response was observed. Safety data were consistent with the known profile of brentuximab vedotin, and included at least grade 3 events of neutropenia (14%), peripheral sensory neuropathy, and hyperkalemia (9% each). In summary, brentuximab vedotin showed antitumor activity in patients with relapsed PTCL particularly AITL. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT01421667.