A New Treatment for Non-Hodgkin and Hodgkin Lymphoma
- Adcetris is a new type of lymphoma treatment that uses a special protein to deliver medicine directly into the cancer cell
- It may prolong the time before the cancer grows again
- This drug can lower blood cell counts and cause nerve problems, but these side effects are manageable
Lymphoma treatment often starts with a cocktail of chemotherapy drugs, but not everyone responds to them. And even when the cancer does respond, it can come back (relapse) in the future. Brentuximab vedotin (Adcetris) is a new type of therapy called an antibody-drug conjugate. It combines an antibody a type of protein that recognizes foreign substances in your body, including cancer with a drug that treats the cancer.
Read MoreWho Can Take Adcetris?
Adcetris is approved for certain people with Hodgkin lymphoma, and for some with non-Hodgkin lymphoma.Treatment for Hodgkin lymphoma usually starts with chemotherapy, which may be enough to cure the cancer in many people. If the cancer doesn't respond, the next step is to have an autologous stem cell transplant if your doctor feels that you are a good candidate for a transplant.
From there, if the cancer doesn't improve or there's a high risk that it will return, doctors can prescribe Adcetris. This drug is also an option if your cancer hasn't improved after two treatments and you aren't a good candidate for a stem cell transplant. More recently, Adcetris was approved to treat people who are newly diagnosed with stage III or IV Hodgkin lymphoma, together with chemotherapy.
Adcetris is also an option for some people with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, provided they meet very specific criteria. "It is targeting CD30, and so you have to have CD30 positivity," Dr. Ahmed says. Only certain types of non-Hodgkin lymphomas have positive expression of this marker, including T-cell lymphoma and some large-cell lymphomas. Your doctor can test you for CD30 using a sample of your cancer cells taken during a biopsy, to see if you might benefit from this treatment.
Sometimes Adcetris is also used in people with B-cell lymphoma who test positive for CD30, but usually only once their cancer has come back after treatment. "We have many other drugs for B-cell lymphoma already," Dr. Ahmed says.
How Could it Help Me?
Adcetris gives your doctor another way to treat your cancer. And for some people, this drug might slow the disease and help them stay cancer-free longer.
In T-cell lymphoma, for example, clinical trials have shown that the combination of Adcetris plus chemotherapy extends the time before the cancer gets worse compared to CHOP the chemotherapy combination that has been used for many years to treat this cancer, Dr. Ahmed says. "This is actually a great stride in terms of improving outcomes."
For people with Hodgkin lymphoma who've had an autologous stem cell transplant but are at high risk of their cancer coming back, taking Adcetris after the transplant may improve progression-free survival the amount of time before their cancer starts to grow again, she adds.
Are There Any Risks?
The main side effects are low levels of certain blood cells, including the white blood cells that help your body fight infections. Your doctor can prescribe growth factors to stimulate your body's white blood cell production and protect you against infections while you’re on this treatment.
Another risk is nerve damage called peripheral neuropathy that can make your hands and feet feel numb or weaker than usual. Your doctor might need to lower your dose or stop the drug if that happens, Dr. Ahmed says.
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