Hematol Oncol. 2025 Nov;43(6): e70141
Adult T-cell leukemia-lymphoma (ATL) is a rare, aggressive malignancy prevalent in Japan, the Caribbean, and Central/South America. This multicenter retrospective study evaluated the effectiveness and safety of brentuximab vedotin with cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, and prednisolone (BV-CHP) in patients aged ≥ 18 years with previously untreated CD30-positive ATL, verified through immunohistochemistry/flow cytometry, from six hospitals in Japan. Outcomes included overall response rate (ORR; primary outcome), overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), complete response rate (CRR), disease control rate (DCR), and safety. Subgroup analyses evaluated lesion site, ATL subtype, age, and CD30 expression. Of 46 screened patients, 36 (median age 71 years; 66.7% female) were analyzed and started BV-CHP between April 2020 and January 2024. CD30 positivity was confirmed in all patients. ORR was 86.1% (95% confidence interval [CI] 70.5-95.3), CRR 61.1% (95% CI 43.5-76.9), and DCR 91.7% (95% CI 77.5-98.3). ORR by lesion site (lymph nodes, peripheral blood, skin) was 93.8%, 90.9%, and 83.3%, respectively, by ATL subtype (acute, lymphoma) was 78.9% and 94.1%, respectively, and by age (≤ 70 years, > 70 years) was 84.6% and 87.0%, respectively. One patient with CD30 expression < 10% achieved a complete response; ORR was 73.7% in 19 patients with CD30 expression ≥ 10%. Median OS and PFS was 535 days (95% CI 343-not estimable) and 205 days (95% CI 166-279), respectively. Treatment-emergent adverse events of any grade and grade ≥ 3 both occurred in 88.9% of patients, with neutropenia, febrile neutropenia, and thrombocytopenia being most common. Among 11 patients who underwent allogeneic stem cell transplantation, two developed acute graft-versus-host disease; median PFS was 234 days (95% CI 168-343), compared with 180 days (95% CI 96-279) without transplantation. BV-CHP demonstrated high ORR and CRR across age groups and ATL subtypes with a manageable safety profile, supporting its potential use as a standard treatment option.
Keywords: PTCL; adult T‐cell leukemia‐lymphoma; brentuximab vedotin; retrospective studies