Dr. Zain on Investigational Approaches in Peripheral T-Cell Lymphoma

Jasmine M. Zain, MD, hematologist/oncologist, associate clinical professor, Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, and director, T cell Lymphoma program, City of Hope, discusses investigational approaches in peripheral T-cell lymphoma.

Immunotherapy is one of many areas of interest in PTCL, says Zain. Although CAR T-cell therapy has failed to show great responses in PTCL, trials are planned to investigate the use of bispecific T-cell engagers (BiTEs) as well as antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs). The potential for ADCs in the field was demonstrated with brentuximab vedotin (Adcetris), an anti-CD30 ADC. Researchers just completed a trial evaluating an anti-CD25 ADC. CD25 may become a viable target for ADCs and BiTEs alike, says Zain.

Another exciting drug that has garnered a lot of interest as a single agent and in combination in PTCL is mogamulizumab (Poteligeo). In 2018, the agent received regulatory approval for use in patients with cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) and Sezary syndrome. The agent targets CCR4, which is a marker of T-cell lymphomas. Moreover, the chemokine receptor is highly expressed in adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma which is a subtype of T-cell lymphomas and CTCL.