Nivolumab plus brentuximab vedotin for relapsed/refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma

Area of Science:

• Hematology
• Oncology
• Immunotherapy

Background:

• Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) has a high rate of relapse or refractoriness (R/R) after initial treatment.
• Outcomes for R/R DLBCL patients are poor, especially after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation failure.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy and safety of nivolumab, a PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor, in combination with brentuximab vedotin (BV).
• To assess the treatment for patients with R/R DLBCL within the CheckMate 436 phase 1/2 study.

Main Methods:

• Adult patients with R/R DLBCL received nivolumab plus BV in 3-week cycles.
• The primary endpoint was the overall response rate (ORR).
• Results are reported for the R/R DLBCL cohort (n=42) with a median follow-up of 7.7 months.

Main Results:

• The overall response rate (ORR) was 28.6% (12/42 patients), with 7.1% (3/42) achieving a complete response.
• Median duration of response was 3.6 months.
• All patients experienced adverse events (AEs), with diarrhea being most common (47.6%). Grade 3/4 AEs occurred in 57.1% of patients, and 9.5% experienced Grade 5 AEs.

Conclusions:

• The efficacy of nivolumab plus brentuximab vedotin in R/R DLBCL did not meet expectations.
• The combination therapy does not support its use for treating R/R DLBCL based on the CheckMate 436 study findings.