Novel therapeutic agents for relapsed classical Hodgkin lymphoma

Hodgkin Lymphoma (HL) is a B-cell lymphoproliferative disorder with an excellent prognosis for the majority of patients who are treated with multi-agent chemotherapy, with or without radiation. A subset of patient, however, does not respond to therapy or relapses after accomplishing an initial response. Their outcome is poor and new treatment strategies are urgently needed for this patient population. Recent advances in the understanding of the tumour biology of HL and its microenvironment have ushered a new era of targeted- and immuno-therapies with remarkable activity. Most notably, the antibody-drug conjugate brentuximab-vedotin, and the immune checkpoint blockers pembrolizumab and nivolumab have recently been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration and have transformed the therapeutic landscape of this disease. Other novel drug compounds are being investigated either as single agents or in combination and hold promise to further the field.