Nivolumab induces impressive responses in relapsed/refractory classic Hodgkin lymphoma: Single institutional experience

Abstract

Objectives: Cancer can escape the immune system through different mechanisms. One such mechanism is the expression of program death ligand-1 which binds to PD-1 receptor on activated T cells, subsequently leading to inhibition of the immune response against cancer cells. Nivolumab is a novel antibody that binds to PD-1 and prevents such immune tolerance. Two recently published controlled clinical trials confirmed the clinical efficacy of single-agent nivolumab in pretreated patients with classical Hodgkin lymphoma. Patients and methods: We treated 10 heavily pretreated patients with classical Hodgkin lymphoma with the new novel PD-1 inhibitor nivolumab. We report on the outcome and safety of this agent in these patients. Results: After four cycles, the response rate was 80%. Seven of 10 gained complete metabolic remission. No serious adverse events were observed. The available literature is being reviewed. Conclusions: Pretreated classical Hodgkin lymphoma is amenable to novel immunotherapy. Nivolumab induces clinically meaningful responses with excellent tolerability. The drug enriches our treatment options by reviving the response of the immune system against cancer. Further controlled studies are needed to determine the effectiveness on a large patient cohort.