Long-term follow-up of dose-dense brentuximab vedotin, ifosfamide, carboplatin and etoposide in second-line treatment of relapsed/refractory classical Hodgkin lymphoma.

This study presents the 5-year outcomes of a phase 1/2 trial (NCT02227199) evaluating dose-dense brentuximab vedotin (BV) combined with ifosfamide, carboplatin and etoposide (ICE) as second-line therapy in patients with relapsed classic Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL). Forty-five patients received at least one dose of BV-ICE, with the intention to proceed to autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT). At a median follow-up of over 5 years, the progression-free survival was 77% (95% CI, 66%-91%) and overall survival was 91% (95% CI, 82%-100%). Of 37 patients who underwent ASCT, five relapsed; two received subsequent allogeneic transplantation and remain alive. Among eight patients who did not proceed to ASCT, four remain in complete remission long-term. Second malignancies developed in five patients post-ASCT, including two localized skin cancers and three non-skin cancers. These findings highlight BV-ICE as a highly active salvage regimen for relapsed cHL, with durable remissions in a majority of patients. The regimen may be especially relevant in the modern era for patients who relapse after Programmed Cell Death Protein 1 (PD-1) inhibitor-based front-line therapy and require additional treatment prior to planned ASCT.