Defining the Role of Stem Cell Transplant in T-Cell Lymphoma

John Lister, MD, chief of the Division of Hematology and Cellular Therapy, Allegheny Health Network Cancer Institute, discusses the current role of stem cell transplant (SCT) in the treatment of T-cell lymphoma, and some of the latest advances in the space.

According to Lister, chemotherapy and SCT are often used for the treatment of patients with T-cell lymphoma. However, not many new therapies or advances have been developed in this space over recent years. This is particularly true for patients with peripheral T-cell lymphoma.

Lister highlights the importance of brentuximab vedotin (Adcetris), which was granted approval by the FDA for use in combination with chemotherapy for the frontline treatment of patients with CD30-expressing peripheral T-cell lymphoma in 2018. This approval was based on findings from the phase 3 ECHELON-2 trial (NCT01777152). This agent was 1 that provided a significant change in the treatment landscape for T-cell lymphomas.

Still, Lister notes that further research is warranted to provide more options to patients.

Transcription:

0:10 | There are mechanisms that allow us to risk stratify patients with T-cell lymphoma, and all but the very lowest risk patients would get chemotherapy. If they achieve a remission, they will then undergo autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation in the first remission. The exceptions, as I said, would be those patients with low-risk T-cell lymphoma.

0:37 | Not a lot has occurred in T-cell, particularly T-cell lymphoma. The landscape has changed with the advent of certain drugs that appear to be more active in this cohort of diseases, one of which is brentuximab vedotin. Still, even in the relapsed setting, patients that are still responsive to chemotherapy, if they have not undergone an autologous transplant, would go to a first autologous transplant in the situation, whereby they had relapsed after initial therapy and then still respond to conventional therapy.