Author: lymphomaprogram

Located on the Upper East Side of New York City, the Lymphoma Program at Weill Cornell Medical College/NewYork Presbyterian Hospital is internationally recognized for our efforts to enable patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, Hodgkin disease and related disorders to have the best possible clinical outcome, including cure when possible.

New Treatment for Systemic and Cutaneous T-cell Lymphomas: Antibody-drug Conjugate Brentuximab Vedotin

jruanBy Jia Ruan, MD

The peripheral T-cell lymphomas (PTCL) are uncommon lymphoid diseases that account for 5-10% of all non-Hodgkin lymphomas in adults in North America.  Compared to B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas, the PTCLs are generally aggressive and less responsive to current treatment options. Relapsed and refractory diseases are common.  Novel and target therapies are in much need to improve quality and duration of response.  At the 2012 American Society of Hematology (ASH) meeting in Atlanta, several research groups reported encouraging study results with the antibody-drug conjugate Brentuximab vedotin for T-cell lymphomas. Brentuximab vedotin (BV) is an anti-CD30 chimeric antibody conjugated by a protease-cleavable linker to the microtubule-disrupting agent monomethyl auristatin E. BV received accelerated FDA approval in 2011 for relapsed Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) and systemic anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL), 2 diseases that express abundant CD30.  Several new studies have looked at the treatment outcome of BV in patients with systemic or cutaneous T-cell lymphomas that express variable amount of CD30.

Studies in Systemic T-cell Lymphomas

Dr. Jacobsen from Dana Farber Cancer Institute reported an interim analysis of a phase II multicenter study which evaluated the antitumor activity of BV in patients with relapsed or refractory CD30-positive NHL. BV was administered at 1.8 mg/kg every 3 weeks by IV infusion. The study also explored the correlation between antitumor activity and quantitative CD30 expression.  Fifty-three patients with various CD30-positive NHLs have been enrolled, including 18 patients with mature T-/NK-cell lymphomas. Of the T-cell lymphoma patients enrolled, 9 have angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma (AITL), 8 have PTCL-NOS, and 1 has cutaneous T-cell lymphoma.  The ORR was 27% (3/11) for mature T-/NK-cell NHLs.  Thus far, response was particularly noteworthy in in AITL where 3 of 5 patients (60%) have responded (2 CR, 1 PR).   Treatment-emergent adverse events were generally mild and moderate (grade 1/2), and expected including peripheral neuropathy and cytopenias, which was consistent with the safety profile of BV.  CD30 expression levels for patients with a CR or PR were widely variable and ranged from <1% to 90%.  Preliminary data seems to suggest that BV may be beneficial for patients with T-cell lymphomas that have low CD30 expression. Dr. Fanale from MD Anderson Cancer Center reported a phase I study with BV administered concurrently with multi-agent chemotherapy as frontline treatment of systemic ALCL and other CD30 positive T-cell lymphomas.  The study was Continue reading “New Treatment for Systemic and Cutaneous T-cell Lymphomas: Antibody-drug Conjugate Brentuximab Vedotin”

New Clinical Trial: Rituximab,Bendamustine Hydrochloride & Bortezomib Followed by Rituximab & Lenalidomide in Older Patients with Untreated Mantle Cell Lymphoma

E1411: Intergroup Randomized Phase II Four Arm Study In Patients > 60 With Previously Untreated Mantle Cell Lymphoma Of Therapy With: Arm A = Rituximab+ Bendamustine Followed By Rituximab Consolidation (RB → R); Arm B = Rituximab + Bendamustine + Bortezomib Followed By Rituximab Consolidation (RBV→ R), Arm C = Rituximab + Bendamustine Followed By Lenalidomide + Rituximab Consolidation (RB → LR) or Arm D = Rituximab + Bendamustine + Bortezomib Followed By Lenalidomide + Rituximab Consolidation (RBV → LR)

The Weill Cornell Lymphoma Program has recently opened a new clinical trial for men women age 60 and older with mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) that has not been previously treated. The study sponsor is the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group. The principal investigator at Weill Cornell is Dr. Peter Martin. For more information about the study, please call Amelyn Rodgriguez, RN at (212) 746-1362 or e-mail Amelyn at amr2017@med.cornell.edu.

Key Eligibility

  • Men and women age 60 and older
  • Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL)
  • No prior therapy for MCL
  • Detailed eligibility reviewed when you contact the study team

Study Details

The study has two steps of treatment:

Step 1: The purpose of Step 1 is to determine the effectiveness of the addition of bortezomib (also called Velcade) to rituximab plus bendamustine, compared to rituximab plus bendamustine alone.

Step 2: The purpose of Step 2 is to determine the effectiveness of continuing treatment after Step 1 with lenalidomide plus rituximab, compared to continuing with rituximab alone.

Study participants will be randomly assigned to one of four treatment regimens:

  • Group 1: Step 1 rituximab plus bendamustine, followed by Step 2 rituximab for up to 2 years
  • Group 2: Step 1 bortezomib plus rituximab and bendamustine, followed by Step 2 rituximab for up to 2 years
  • Group 3: Step 1 rituximab plus bendamustine, followed by Step 2 lenalidomide plus rituximab for up to 2 years
  • Group 4: Step 1 bortezomib plus rituximab and bendamustine, followed by Step 2 lenalidomide plus rituximab for up to 2 years

Although each of the drugs used in the study are FDA-approved to treat blood cancers, the combinations used in this study have not been FDA-approved and are considered experimental.

Monoclonal antibodies, such as rituximab, can block cancer growth in different ways. Some find cancer cells and help kill them or carry cancer-killing substances to them. Others interfere with the ability of cancer cells to grow and spread. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as bendamustine, also work in different ways to kill cancer cells or stop them from dividing. Bortezomib may stop the growth of cancer cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. Lenalidomide may stop the growth of mantle cell lymphoma by blocking blood flow to the cancer. It is not yet known whether giving rituximab together with bendamustine and bortezomib is more effective than rituximab and bendamustine, followed by rituximab alone or with lenalidomide in treating mantle cell lymphoma.

Treatment Plan

Participants will be asked to take 6 cycles (6 months) of chemotherapy in Step 1. Participants in Groups 1 and 2 will take rituximab every 8 weeks for 2 years. Participants in Groups 3 and 4 will take 24 cycles (2 years) of lenalidomide plus rituximab.

New Clinical Trial: Alisertib (MLN8237) or Investigator’s Choice for Relapsed/Refractory Peripheral T-Cell Lymphoma

A Phase 3, Randomized, Two-Arm, Open-Label, Multicenter, International Trial of Alisertib (MLN8237) or Investigator’s Choice (Selected Single Agent) in Patients with Relapsed or Refractory Peripheral T-Cell Lymphoma

Update: this study is closed to enrollment. 

The Weill Cornell Lymphoma Program has recently opened a new clinical trial for people with relapsed or refractory Peripheral T-Cell Lymphoma (PTCL). The sponsor is Millennium Pharmaceuticals, and the principal investigator at Weill Cornell is Dr. Jia Ruan. For more information about the study, please call Amelyn Rodgriguez, RN at (212) 746-1362 or e-mail Amelyn at amr2017@med.cornell.edu.

Study Details

The purpose of the study is to assess how well people with PTCL respond to treatment with the experimental drug Alisertib (also known as MLN8237) as compared to other PTCL treatments.

Study participants will be randomly assigned to receive Alisertib or one of the following drugs used to treat PTCL: pralatrexate, romidepsin or gemcitabine.

Alisertib has been developed to interfere with cell division, which is required for normal and cancer cell growth. By blocking an enzyme that cells need to reproduce, alistertib may slow the growth of cancer cells.

Key Eligibility

  • PTCL relapsed or refractory to at least 1 prior systemic, cytoxic therapy for PTCL
  • Must have received convential therapy (not experimental) as prior therapy

Treatment Plan

Study participants will be randomly assigned to one of two study arms:

  • Arm A: Alisertib tablet twice daily by mouth for 7 consecutive days (Cycle Days 1-7) in a 21-day cycle for up to 32 cycles of treatment (2 years)
  • Arm B: Single-arm comparator. Participants will be assigned by the investigator to receive 1 of the following for up to 2 years:
    • Pralatrexate via infusion once weekly for 6 weeks in 7-week cycles. Cycles repeated every 7 weeks
    • Romidepsin via infusion on Days 1, 8 and 15 of a 28-day cycle. Cycles repeated every 28 days
    • Gemcitabine via infusion on Days 1, 8 and 15 of a 28-day cycle. Cycles repeated every 28 days