Dr. Gordon on Clinical Trials in Hodgkin Lymphoma

Leo I. Gordon, MD, a professor of medicine at Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, discusses clinical trials in Hodgkin lymphoma.

Data suggests that the immune system and the use of checkpoint inhibitors may play an important role in Hodgkin lymphoma, says Gordon. These novel agents take the brakes off the immune system so it can attack the disease.

According to Gordon, there are trials comparing ABVD [adriamycin, bleomycin, vinblastine, dacarbazine] with other regimens, but ABVD remains the standard. However, the drug bleomycin causes pulmonary toxicity, especially in patients who are a little bit older with a smoking history.