Dr. Brody on the Role of Immunotherapy in Hodgkin Lymphoma

Joshua Brody, MD, director of the Lymphoma program at Icahn School of Medicine, Mount Sinai Hospital, discusses the role of immunotherapy in Hodgkin lymphoma.

Notably, patients with Hodgkin lymphoma are more responsive to immunotherapy than patients with other tumor types, says Brody. Randomized phase 3 data have led to the approvals of multiple anti–PD-1 agents in Hodgkin lymphoma based on superior efficacy findings compared with other standards, such as antibody-drug conjugates, Brody says.

Moreover, the response rates for PD-1 inhibitors in patients with chemotherapy-refractory Hodgkin lymphoma are around 70%, with most patients achieving complete responses or durable remissions. Five years ago, many patients had to adjust their daily schedule to undergo chemotherapy, with limited curative potential. Moreover, many of these patients would go on to receive a stem cell transplant and develop progressive disease after. The introduction of PD-1 inhibitors has largely improved the burden of therapy for these patients.

Ultimately, with this new therapy, patients can achieve more durable responses, even in the refractory setting. As such, the field is looking to expand the utility of immunotherapy into earlier lines of therapy or into the maintenance setting, Brody concludes.