Brentuximab Vedotin: New Possibilities for Treatment of Relapses and Refractory Hodgkin’s Lymphomas

The concept of total curability of Hodgkin’s lymphoma was introduced as early as in 1970s. However, 10–30 % of patients develop relapses; in addition, resistant tumors cannot be excluded. A high-dose chemotherapy with autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is a modern treatment standard for relapses and refractory Hodgkin’s lymphomas. However, long-term remissions are achieved only in a half of these patients. The toxicity of effective first-line treatment regimens and insufficient effectiveness of regimens prescribed for relapses and refractory disease are the reason for further search of new therapeutic options for this malignant tumor. Invention of an immunoconjugate, brentuximab vedotin, became one of the new steps in the treatment of Hodgkin’s lymphomas. This review presents data on the pharmacological properties of the drug, the mechanism of the anti-tumor effect, as well as results of large international, randomized clinical trials.