Tag: Hodgkin Lymphoma

Dr. Lisa Roth Describes a Clinical Trial Testing Nivolumab in Patients with Hodgkin Lymphoma who Relapsed after an Autologous Stem Cell Transplant

In this video Dr. Lisa Roth explains the benefits of a phase II trial for men and women with Hodgkin lymphoma whose disease has relapsed after an autologous stem cell transplant. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the clinical benefits of nivolumab in people with relapsed Hodgkin lymphoma. This trial is sponsored by Bristol-Myers Squibb.

If you’re interested in participating in this trial please call 646-962-2074 for more information. A full listing of Hodgkin lymphoma trials at Weill Cornell Medical College can be found here.

AACR 2015: Lymphoma Abstract Highlights

The annual American Association of Cancer Research (AACR) concluded last Wednesday in Philadelphia. Lymphoma related abstracts from researchers at the Meyer Cancer Center at Weill Cornell Medical College, presented results that could lead to potential new lymphoma therapies. These included:

Longitudinal genomic and transcriptomic analysis of mantle cell lymphoma in a targeted combination trial of a selective CDK4/6 inhibitor

In this study researchers from the Meyer Cancer Center used whole exome sequencing (WES) and whole transciptome sequencing (WTS) to study the progression of mantle cell lymphoma in patients, who had previously taken part in a clinical trial testing the combination of palbociclib and bortezomib. The primary goal was to understand the difference in response caused by genetic differentiations in those patients who responded to treatment and patients who did not respond to treatment. Investigators sought to understand these genetic differentiations by identifying copy number variants, single nucleotide variants, and differentially expressed genes. In doing so they were able to identify molecular clues to the mechanisms of resistance presented in patients with mantle cell lymphoma. These results are being followed up with in functional studies. They could potentially offer greater insight into the treatment of patients with mantle cell lymphoma.

Transcriptome sequencing of the Reed-Sternberg cells of classical Hodgkin lymphoma

Genomic studies of classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) have been confined to cell lines due to the technological difficulties in isolating Hodgkin and Reed-Sternberg cells from reactive background tissue. However, a multi-disciplinary research team found a solution to the issues involved in isolating these cells. A flow cytometric cell isolation method allowed for the isolation of thousands of viable HRS cells from cHL tumors, which enabled the isolation of high quality RNA from HRS cells and intra-tumor B cells from 9 primary cases of cHL.  The team also sequenced the transcriptomes of four cell lines, and conducted a search for activated pathways. In the future, this form of analysis of HRS cells will allow for the expanded study of cHL pathogenesis. This line of analysis could potentially lead to new individualized approaches to therapy through the identification of altered signaling pathways.

Classical Hodgkin Lymphoma Genome Sequenced by Research Team

In a recent study first published online, then as a plenary paper in the February 12 issue of Blood an inter-institutional team of researchers sequenced the genome of classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL). This sequencing allowed researchers to study the changes in proteins in individual patients, which could potentially lead to the development of new therapies targeting the cells affected by cHL. Their findings are especially notable as,

“Now we have a better idea of what mutations there are, and going forward therapies can be adapted to specific patient populations according to their genomic composition,” said senior author Dr. Ethel Cesarman, a professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College.

Although scientists have sequenced the genomes of many other diseases, the cHL genome has remained elusive due to the difficulty of isolating Reed-Sternberg cells, which usually comprise less than 1 percent of a total cHL tumor. The team employed a technique that separates larger cells and looks at the proteins on their surface, called fluorescence-activated cell sorting, to successfully isolate the Reed-Sternberg cells and sequence the cancer genome, said senior author Dr. Mikhail Roshal, an assistant member in the Department of Pathology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

These findings could potentially lead to more personalized treatment options for patients with cHL. They exemplify the bench to bedside approach taken by the Lymphoma Program and Meyer Cancer Center. Please look to this space for further updates about lymphoma news and clinical trials.