The following is a summary of “Phase II Trial of Nivolumab Plus Doxorubicin, Vinblastine, Dacarbazine as Frontline Therapy in Older Adults With Hodgkin Lymphoma,” published in the December 2024 issue of Oncology by Torka, et al.
In older adults (OA), Classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) presents treatment challenges due to age-related factors and comorbidities.
Researchers conducted a prospective study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of nivolumab plus doxorubicin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine (N-AVD) in OA with newly diagnosed cHL.
They treated patients aged 60 or older with newly diagnosed cHL (N = 40) using 6 cycles of AVD plus nivolumab 240 mg every 2 weeks on days 1 and 15 for each cycle. Geriatric assessments before treatment initiation were also performed.
The results showed 37 evaluable patients, the median follow-up was 49 months, with 3-year progression-free survival (PFS) and OS rates of 79% and 97%, respectively. Half of the patients (50%) experienced grade 3/4 treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs), including febrile neutropenia in 8%. Additionally, 4 patients (10%) discontinued therapy due to TRAEs, with no correlation between baseline geriatric impairments and survival outcomes or toxicities. Positron emission tomography-2 (PET-2) did not predict PFS or OS.
They concluded that N-AVD was an effective and well-tolerated frontline treatment for OA with cHL, even with various geriatric impairments.
Source: ascopubs.org/doi/10.1200/JCO-24-01278
