Brentuximab Vedotin in the Treatment of Peripheral T Cell Lymphoma and Cutaneous T Cell Lymphoma

Purpose of review: The recent development of brentuximab vedotin (BV), an antibody-drug conjugate targeting CD30-positive cells, has led to therapeutic advances in the treatment of T cell lymphomas. In this review, we discuss key studies of BV in peripheral T cell lymphoma (PTCL) and cutaneous T cell lymphoma (CTCL) and highlight important questions for further investigation.

Recent findings: Monotherapy with BV has proven to be effective and well tolerated in patients with relapsed/refractory (R/R) CD30-positive CTCL. BV has shown significant activity in R/R PTCL as well, with particularly durable responses in patients with anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL). In a landmark phase III study (ECHELON-2), BV + CHP demonstrated superior progression-free and overall survival relative to CHOP as frontline therapy for patients with CD30-expressing PTCL, representing the first randomized trial demonstrating an overall survival benefit in PTCL. Though BV is overall well tolerated, peripheral neuropathy remains a clinically significant adverse effect. BV is a major therapeutic advance in the treatment of patients with R/R CTCL and of those with PTCL in both the R/R and frontline settings. Key ongoing areas of investigation include optimization of CD30 expression as a predictive biomarker as well as the role of BV in consolidation therapy.