Dr. Ramchandren on the North American Results of the ECHELON-1 Study in Hodgkin Lymphoma

Radhakrishnan Ramchandren MD, associate professor, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute, discusses the North American results of the ECHELON-1 study in Hodgkin lymphoma.

The phase III ECHELON-1 trial compared brentuximab vedotin (Adcetris) plus doxorubicin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine (A+AVD) with doxorubicin (Adriamycin), bleomycin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine (ABVD) in patients with newly diagnosed Hodgkin lymphoma. The North American subgroup analysis of the ECHELON-1 trial was evaluated due to potential regional differences in outcomes that were presented in the primary study at the 2017 ASH Annual Meeting.

The global study indicated a 5% benefit with A+AVD in modified progression-free survival (PFS). That benefit was not distributed globally, notes Ramchandren. In the North American subgroup analysis, modified PFS per independent review facility at 2 years was 84.3% and 73.7% with A+AVD versus ABVD, respectively.

Patients in North America who received A+AVD experienced an estimated 2-year PFS per investigator review and modified PFS benefits that ranged from 10.6% to 12.8% compared with ABVD. It is unclear why that benefit exists, but the number of patients on the North American subgroup analysis was substantial, accounting for approximately 40% of patients enrolled on trial.