%0 Journal Article
%T Pembrolizumab and its role in relapsed/refractory classical Hodgkin¡¯s lymphoma: evidence to date and clinical utility
%A Lapo Alinari
%A Polina Shindiapina
%J Archive of "Therapeutic Advances in Hematology".
%D 2018
%R 10.1177/2040620718761777
%X Immune evasion is a critical mechanism of malignant cell survival, and relies in part on molecular signaling through the programmed cell death 1 (PD-1)/PD-1 ligand (PD-L1) axis that contributes to T cell exhaustion. Immune modulatory therapy with monoclonal antibodies against PD-1 designed to enhance antitumor immune response have shown promise in the treatment of advanced solid tumors and hematologic malignancies. Classical Hodgkin¡¯s lymphoma (cHL), a unique B cell malignancy characterized by an extensive but ineffective immune cell infiltrate surrounding a small number of tumor cells, has shown significant response to anti-PD-1 directed therapy. The anti-PD-1 monoclonal antibodies nivolumab and pembrolizumab have shown similarly remarkable activity in relapsed/refractory cHL and have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for treatment of this disease. In this article we review the rationale of targeting the PD-1/PD-L1 axis in cHL and the pharmacology of pembrolizumab, and summarize the data on activity and safety profile of this agent in the treatment of relapsed/refractory cHL. We also discuss the potential benefits and pitfalls of using PD-1 blockade in the setting of allogeneic stem-cell transplantation, and summarize ongoing prospective trials of single-agent pembrolizumab and combination strategies as well as future directions
%K checkpoint inhibitor therapy
%K Hodgkin¡¯s lymphoma
%K pembrolizumab
%U https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5881987/