Bexarotene in Patients With Peripheral T-cell Lymphomas: Results of a Retrospective Study

Peripheral T-cell lymphomas (PTCLs) are generally aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphomas that portend poor prognosis with currently available therapies. Bexarotene, a retinoic acid derivative, has efficacy in cutaneous T-cell lymphomas, but its activity in PTCL is unknown.

We conducted a retrospective, single-institution, review of off-label bexarotene therapy in patients with PTCL between 2005 and 2016.

Twelve patients were treated with bexarotene as monotherapy: 3 patients with PTCL, not otherwise specified, and 9 patients with angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma. Bexarotene doses of 300 mg/m² daily or 150 mg/m² were used for all patients. The treatment was well-tolerated. The most common toxicities included hypothyroidism and hyperlipidemia, which were effectively managed. The overall response rate for all patients was 58% with a median duration of response of 11 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.3 months to not estimable). Among patients with angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, there was a 44% overall response rate. The median progression-free survival for all patients was 2.1 months (95% CI, 1.1 months to not estimable), and the median overall survival was 14.9 months (95% CI, 2.1-73.1 months).

Bexarotene monotherapy is well-tolerated and has encouraging activity in PTCL that warrants further investigation in prospective clinical trials.