Mogamulizumab for the treatment of adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma

Abstract

Adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL) is a peripheral T-cell lymphoma caused by latent infection of human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1. The outcome for ATLL is very poor, with a 3-year overall survival of approximately 24% with conventional chemotherapy; thus, there is an unmet need for developing new treatment options. Defucosylated humanized anti-CC chemokine receptor 4 (CCR4) antibody (KW-0761, mogamulizumab) has been clinically available for the treatment of relapsed or refractory ATLL in Japan since 2012, and a Phase II study of mogamulizumab for patients with relapsed CCR4+ ATLL demonstrated a 50% objective response, a 30.8% complete response, and an acceptable safety profile. Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation has been used to treat patients with ATLL, and mogamulizumab in combination with allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation has been used successfully in a limited number of patients to treat refractory or relapsed ATLL. The efficacy of combining mogamulizumab with standard chemotherapy (mLSG15) for patients with ATLL has also been examined, and the results have shown higher rates of complete response with the combined therapy (52%) compared with for chemotherapy alone (33%). Mogamulizumab also has potential application in the treatment of human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1-associated myelopathy/tropical paraparesis, Epstein-Barr virus-associated T-cell and natural killer-cell lymphoproliferative diseases, and peripheral and cutaneous T-cell lymphomas. Possible adverse events of mogamulizumab have been reported, such as cutaneous adverse reactions (including Stevens-Johnson syndrome), diffuse panbronchiolitis, reactivation of hepatitis B, and opportunistic infections. The treatment outcome of patients with ATLL might be improved by further optimizing the use of mogamulizumab and managing severe adverse events. In this review, we provide an overview of the current treatment options for patients with ATLL and a focused review on the use, application, and adverse events associated with mogamulizumab.