@article{3086446,
    title = "Brentuximab vedotin in relapsed/refractory Hodgkin lymphoma. The Hellenic experience",
    author = "Angelopoulou, M.K. and Vassilakopoulos, T.P. and Batsis, I. and Sakellari, I. and Gkirkas, K. and Pappa, V. and Giannoulia, P. and Apostolidis, I. and Apostolopoulos, C. and Roussou, P. and Panayiotidis, P. and Dimou, M. and Kyrtsonis, M.-C. and Palassopoulou, M. and Vassilopoulos, G. and Moschogiannis, M. and Kalpadakis, C. and Margaritis, D. and Spyridonidis, A. and Michalis, E. and Anargyrou, K. and Repousis, P. and Hatzimichael, E. and Bousiou, Z. and Poulakidas, E. and Grentzelias, D. and Harhalakis, N. and Pangalis, G.A. and Anagnostopoulos, A. and Tsirigotis, P.",
    journal = "Journal of Hematology & Oncology",
    year = "2018",
    volume = "36",
    number = "1",
    pages = "174-181",
    publisher = "John Wiley and Sons Ltd",
    issn = "1756-8722",
    doi = "10.1002/hon.2383",
    keywords = "brentuximab vedotin;  antibody conjugate;  brentuximab vedotin, adult;  allogeneic stem cell transplantation;  Article;  autologous stem cell transplantation;  cancer chemotherapy;  cancer radiotherapy;  cancer recurrence;  cancer survival;  chemosensitivity;  disease control;  disease exacerbation;  female;  follow up;  Hodgkin disease;  human;  major clinical study;  male;  overall survival;  patient history of chemotherapy;  priority journal;  progression free survival;  retrospective study;  salvage therapy;  treatment failure;  clinical trial;  Hodgkin disease;  mortality;  multicenter study;  pathology;  prognosis;  survival analysis;  treatment outcome, Adult;  Female;  Hodgkin Disease;  Humans;  Immunoconjugates;  Male;  Prognosis;  Retrospective Studies;  Survival Analysis;  Treatment Outcome",
    abstract = "This retrospective study aimed to describe the Hellenic experience on the use of brentuximab vedotin (BV) in relapsed/refractory (R/R) Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) given within its indication. From June 2011 to April 2015, ninety-five patients with R/R HL, who received BV in 20 centers from Greece, were analyzed. Their median age was 33 years, and 62% were males. Sixty-seven patients received BV after autologous stem cell transplantation failure, whereas 28 patients were treated with BV without a prior autologous stem cell transplantation, due to advanced age/comorbidities or chemorefractory disease. The median number of prior treatments was 4 and 44% of the patients were refractory to their most recent therapy. The median number of BV cycles was 8 (range, 2-16), and the median time to best response was the fourth cycle. Fifty-seven patients achieved an objective response: twenty-two (23%), a complete response (CR), and 35 patients (37%), a partial, for an overall response rate of 60%. Twelve patients (13%) had stable disease, and the remaining twenty-six (27%) had progressive disease as their best response. At a median follow-up of 11.5 months, median progression-free survival and overall survival were 8 and 26.5 months, respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that chemosensitivity to treatment administered before BV was associated with a significantly increased probability of achieving response to BV (P =.005). Bulky disease (P =.01) and response to BV (P <.001) were significant for progression-free survival, while refractoriness to most recent treatment (P =.04), bulky disease (P =.005), and B-symptoms (P =.001) were unfavorable factors for overall survival. Among the 22 CRs, 5 remain in CR with no further treatment after BV at a median follow-up of 13 months. In conclusion, our data indicate that BV is an effective treatment for R/R HL patients even outside clinical trials. Whether BV can cure a fraction of patients remains to be seen. © 2017 The Authors Hematological Oncology Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd"
}