Alison Moskowitz, MD

The invited discussant of the ECHELON-1 trial, Alison Moskowitz, MD, Associate Attending Physician, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, commented: “In the past decade, three effective drugs for Hodgkin lymphoma have emerged—brentuximab vedotin, nivolumab, and pembrolizumab—and they are being incorporated into front-line treatment.”

Dr. Moskowitz noted that when the results of ECHELON-1 were originally presented in 2017, the difference in 2-year modified progression-free survival between the two treatment arms was modest, and results were not met with much enthusiasm.

“With longer follow-up, we see that progression-free survival improvement [with brentuximab vedotin plus doxorubicin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine (A+AVD)] is maintained in patients who have stage III or IV disease, and the progression-free survival advantage has now translated into an overall survival benefit. I agree with Dr. Ansell that A+AVD is now the preferred treatment of patients with stage III or IV Hodgkin lymphoma,” she stated. 

DISCLOSURE: Dr. Moskowitz has received honoraria from Seattle Genetics; has served as a consultant or advisor to ADC Therapeutics, Bristol Myers Squibb, Ibrium Therapeutics, Janpix, Kyowa Kirin International, Merck, miRagen Therapeutics, Seattle Genetics, and Takeda; and has received institutional research funding from ADC Therapeutics, BeiGene, Bristol Myers Squibb, Incyte, Merck, miRagen Therapeutics, and Seattle Genetics.