Data from a small series of four patients with primary CNS lymphoma (PCNSL) and one patient with primary testicular lymphoma (PTL), for whom no standard-of-care treatment options are available, indicate the effectiveness of the anti-PD-1 antibody nivolumab. This approach was selected based upon the high frequency of 9p24.1 copy-number alterations in these patients, which are associated with increased PD-L1 expression, in addition to the effectiveness of anti-PD-1 antibodies observed in patients with other forms of lymphoma. All five patients had clinical and radiographic responses to nivolumab, and four had near-complete resolution of symptoms upon commencement of treatment. Three patients remain progression free after 13–17 months of follow-up monitoring. The authors add that this approach is now being investigated in a phase II clinical trial in patients with PCNSL or PTL.
References
Nayak, L. et al. PD-1 blockade with nivolumab in relapsed/refractory primary central nervous system and testicular lymphoma. Blood. http://dx.doi.org/10.1182/blood-2017-01-764209 (2017)
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Sidaway, P. Nivolumab is effective in PCNSL and PTL. Nat Rev Clin Oncol 14, 328 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrclinonc.2017.68
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrclinonc.2017.68