Older patients benefit from brentuximab treatment
Forty-four percent exhibited B symptoms, 11% had bulky disease, and 50% had extra-nodal involvement.
They received brentuximab at 1.8 mg/kg plus dacarbazine at 375 mg/m2 for cycles 1-12, followed by monotherapy for cycles 13-16.
At the time of the interim analysis, 83% of patients were still on treatment, “so this is very early preliminary data,” Dr Forero-Torres noted.
All of the patients achieved tumor reduction, and 4 patients achieved a CR.
They had a median treatment duration of 16.7 weeks (range, 3 to 36), received a median of 5.5 cycles (range, 1 to 12), and had a median follow-up time of 19.1 weeks (range, 6.1 to 36.1).
The most common grade 1 or 2 AEs were peripheral sensory neuropathy (33%), nausea (33%), diarrhea (28%), constipation (28%), fatigue (22%), alopecia (22%), arthralgia (22%), and headache (22%).
Grade 3 AEs or SAEs, with 1 patient each, were C difficile colitis (SAE), hypotension (SAE), and hyperglycemia.
Dr Forero-Torres noted that investigators observed “robust antitumor activity” among these older patients receiving front-line brentuximab.
The cohort combining brentuximab with bendamustine is currently enrolling patients.
The study is sponsored by Seattle Genetics, Inc., developer of brentuximab vedotin (Adcetris).
*Information in the abstract differs from that presented at the meeting.
