Update on the role of brentuximab vedotin in classical Hodgkin lymphoma

Brentuximab vedotin (BV) is an effective and well-tolerated treatment for patients with classical Hodgkin lymphoma (HL). It was initially approved by the US FDA for the treatment of HL after failure of autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant (autoHSCT) or after failure of at least two prior lines of multiagent chemotherapy in patients who are not transplant candidates, and then subsequently, as consolidation therapy after autoHSCT in patients who are at high risk for relapse. However, the role of BV in the treatment of HL is evolving. BV has shown promising efficacy as a salvage treatment in the second-line setting prior to autoHSCT. Most recently, the ECHELON-1 trial demonstrated that BV combined with AVD for the treatment of newly diagnosed advanced stage HL improved modified progression-free survival (mPFS) compared with standard ABVD. Based on these results, the US FDA has approved BV as part of the initial treatment of advanced stage HL. With the approval of BV as front-line therapy, depending on how widely the use of BV plus AVD is adopted, the role of BV in the treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory (rel/ref) HL may need to be redefined. BV retreatment can be effective, and studies of rational BV-based combination regimens may help to improve response rates and overcome BV resistance. Furthermore, BV has been demonstrated to be effective in the initial treatment of elderly or unfit patients, and ongoing studies are evaluating the addition of BV to initial chemotherapy in patients with early stage HL.