Lymphoma, a type of blood cancer, has seen significant advancements in treatment options over the years.
With the introduction of newer therapies, patients with lymphoma now have more effective and targeted treatment choices.
This article will discuss some of the recent developments in lymphoma treatment, including immunotherapy, targeted therapy, and CAR T-cell therapy.
Immunotherapy:
Immunotherapy is a type of cancer treatment that harnesses the power of the immune system to fight cancer cells. In lymphoma, immunotherapy has shown promising results, with several types of treatments being explored.
- Monoclonal Antibodies: These are laboratory-made antibodies that target specific proteins on cancer cells. Examples include rituximab (Rituxan) and brentuximab vedotin (Adcetris), which have been approved for the treatment of certain types of lymphoma.
- Checkpoint Inhibitors: These medications block proteins that prevent the immune system from attacking cancer cells. Nivolumab (Opdivo) and pembrolizumab (Keytruda) are examples of checkpoint inhibitors that have been approved for the treatment of Hodgkin lymphoma.
- Bispecific Antibodies: These antibodies bind to both lymphoma cells and immune cells, bringing them together to destroy cancer cells. Examples include mosunetuzumab (Lunsumio), glofitamab, and epcoritamab, which have shown promising results in clinical trials.¹ ²
Targeted Therapy:
Targeted therapy is a type of cancer treatment that targets specific molecules involved in the growth and survival of cancer cells. In lymphoma, targeted therapy has shown significant promise.
- Kinase Inhibitors: These medications block specific proteins that help cancer cells grow and survive. Examples include ibrutinib (Imbruvica), acalabrutinib (Calquence), and zanubrutinib (Brukinsa), which have been approved for the treatment of certain types of lymphoma.
- Antibody-Drug Conjugates (ADCs): ADCs are medications that combine a monoclonal antibody with a toxic substance. Examples include brentuximab vedotin (Adcetris) and loncastuximab (Zynlonta), which have been approved for the treatment of certain types of lymphoma.³
CAR T-Cell Therapy:
CAR T-cell therapy is a type of immunotherapy that involves removing T cells from a patient’s blood, modifying them to recognize cancer cells, and reinfusing them into the body. This treatment has shown significant promise in treating certain types of lymphoma.
- Axicabtagene Ciloleucel (Yescarta): This CAR T-cell therapy has been approved for the treatment of refractory large B-cell lymphoma.
- Tisagenlecleucel (Kymriah): This CAR T-cell therapy has been approved for the treatment of refractory large B-cell lymphoma.
Combination Therapies:
Combination therapies, which involve combining different treatments, have shown significant promise in treating lymphoma. For example, combining immunotherapy with chemotherapy has been shown to improve survival outcomes in patients with advanced lymphoma.
- ViPOR Regimen: A five-drug regimen that includes venetoclax, ibrutinib, prednisone, obinutuzumab, and lenalidomide has shown promising results in treating patients with resistant aggressive B-cell lymphoma.⁴
In conclusion, newer therapies in the treatment of lymphomas have shown significant promise in improving survival outcomes and quality of life for patients. Further research is needed to fully understand the potential benefits and limitations of these treatments.
References:
- Julie Vose, MD, discusses the exciting developments across lymphomas. Targeted Onc.
- Immunotherapy for Lymphoma: Types, Success Rate, Side Effects and More. OncODaily.
- Combination targeted treatment produces lasting remissions in people with resistant aggressive B-cell lymphoma. National Cancer Institute.
- Advances in Lymphoma Research. National Cancer Institute.
- What’s New in Lymphoma Treatments? Oregon Cancer Institute.
- New Treatment for Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. American Cancer Society.