8 min

Is Dose-Adjusted EPOCH-R the Optimal Treatment for Children with Primary Mediastinal B-Cell Lymphoma‪?‬ Journal of Clinical Oncology (JCO) Podcast

    • Science

This podcast will discuss data from a phase II trial evaluating the dose-adjusted EOPCH-R chemo-immunotherapy regimen for the treatment of primary mediastinal B-cell lymphoma in children.
 
TRANSCRIPT
[MUSIC PLAYING]
LISA GIULINO-ROTH: This JCO podcast provides observations and commentary on the JCO article "Dose-Adjusted Rituximab Therapy in Children and Adolescents with Primary Mediastinal B-cell Lymphoma, a Multicenter Phase II Trial" by Burke et al. My name is Lisa Giulino-Roth, and I am a pediatric oncologist at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York. My oncology specialty is lymphoma in children, adolescents, and young adults. I have no relevant disclosures.
Primary mediastinal B-cell lymphoma, or PMBCL, is an aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma derived from thymic B-cells. While previously classified as a subtype of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, PMBCL is now recognized as a distinct clinical and pathologic entity. Unlike diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, PMBCL has a peak incidence among adolescents and young adults and is more common in females.
PMBCL also shares many molecular characteristics with Hodgkin lymphoma, including alterations in JAK-STAT pathway signaling and amplification of the 9p24.1 locus, leading to upregulation of PD-L1. Adults with PMBCL have historically been treated on regimens designed for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, which in the US was most commonly R-CHOP and radiation therapy. More recently, adult patients have been treated with a dose-adjusted EPOCH-R regimen, which is composed of dose-adjusted etoposide, doxorubicin, and cyclophosphamide with vincristine, prednisone, and rituximab.
This radiation-free approach is of interest, given this young and predominantly female population who are at risk for significant long-term toxicity from chest radiation. In a single center NCI-led study by Dunleavy and colleagues, dose-adjusted EPOCH-R was administered for six to eight cycles without radiation therapy and resulted in excellent outcomes with a five-year event free survival of 93% and overall survival of 97% among 51 adult patients.
Pediatric patients with PMBCL have historically been treated on regimens designed for mature B non-Hodgkin lymphoma, which in pediatrics is most commonly Burkitt lymphoma or diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. These dose intensive multi-agent regimens include doxorubicin, high dose methotrexate, and intrathecal chemotherapy without radiation.
Outcomes for children with PMBCL treated on these regimens are inferior to pediatric patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma treated on the same protocol. Children with PMBCL have a five-year event-free survival ranging from 65% to 75% in different international series. Given the excellent outcomes observed with dose-adjusted EPOCH-R in the adult NCI trial, an international phase II trial of this approach was conducted by two cooperative groups, The European Intergroup for Childhood Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma and the Children's Oncology Group.
This single arm trial enrolled patients age 18 and under with primary mediastinal B-cell lymphoma. All patients were treated with six cycles of dose-adjusted EPOCH-R without radiation. The primary endpoint was event-free survival with events defined as any of the following-- viable cells in any residual mass after six cycles of treatment, relapse, progressive disease, secondary malignancy, or death from any cause. The four-year event-free survival from this trial would be compared with the event-free survival from historic controls, which was estimated at 67%.
A total of 46 pediatric patients were enrolled between 2012 and 2016. All patients received six cycles of dose-adjusted EPOCH-R without RT. At a median follow-up of 59 months, there were 14 events, including four patients with viable cells in the residual mass at the completion of therapy, eight progressions or relapses, and two secondary malignancies, including one case of Hodgkin lymphoma and one case of acute promyelocytic leuk

This podcast will discuss data from a phase II trial evaluating the dose-adjusted EOPCH-R chemo-immunotherapy regimen for the treatment of primary mediastinal B-cell lymphoma in children.
 
TRANSCRIPT
[MUSIC PLAYING]
LISA GIULINO-ROTH: This JCO podcast provides observations and commentary on the JCO article "Dose-Adjusted Rituximab Therapy in Children and Adolescents with Primary Mediastinal B-cell Lymphoma, a Multicenter Phase II Trial" by Burke et al. My name is Lisa Giulino-Roth, and I am a pediatric oncologist at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York. My oncology specialty is lymphoma in children, adolescents, and young adults. I have no relevant disclosures.
Primary mediastinal B-cell lymphoma, or PMBCL, is an aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma derived from thymic B-cells. While previously classified as a subtype of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, PMBCL is now recognized as a distinct clinical and pathologic entity. Unlike diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, PMBCL has a peak incidence among adolescents and young adults and is more common in females.
PMBCL also shares many molecular characteristics with Hodgkin lymphoma, including alterations in JAK-STAT pathway signaling and amplification of the 9p24.1 locus, leading to upregulation of PD-L1. Adults with PMBCL have historically been treated on regimens designed for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, which in the US was most commonly R-CHOP and radiation therapy. More recently, adult patients have been treated with a dose-adjusted EPOCH-R regimen, which is composed of dose-adjusted etoposide, doxorubicin, and cyclophosphamide with vincristine, prednisone, and rituximab.
This radiation-free approach is of interest, given this young and predominantly female population who are at risk for significant long-term toxicity from chest radiation. In a single center NCI-led study by Dunleavy and colleagues, dose-adjusted EPOCH-R was administered for six to eight cycles without radiation therapy and resulted in excellent outcomes with a five-year event free survival of 93% and overall survival of 97% among 51 adult patients.
Pediatric patients with PMBCL have historically been treated on regimens designed for mature B non-Hodgkin lymphoma, which in pediatrics is most commonly Burkitt lymphoma or diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. These dose intensive multi-agent regimens include doxorubicin, high dose methotrexate, and intrathecal chemotherapy without radiation.
Outcomes for children with PMBCL treated on these regimens are inferior to pediatric patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma treated on the same protocol. Children with PMBCL have a five-year event-free survival ranging from 65% to 75% in different international series. Given the excellent outcomes observed with dose-adjusted EPOCH-R in the adult NCI trial, an international phase II trial of this approach was conducted by two cooperative groups, The European Intergroup for Childhood Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma and the Children's Oncology Group.
This single arm trial enrolled patients age 18 and under with primary mediastinal B-cell lymphoma. All patients were treated with six cycles of dose-adjusted EPOCH-R without radiation. The primary endpoint was event-free survival with events defined as any of the following-- viable cells in any residual mass after six cycles of treatment, relapse, progressive disease, secondary malignancy, or death from any cause. The four-year event-free survival from this trial would be compared with the event-free survival from historic controls, which was estimated at 67%.
A total of 46 pediatric patients were enrolled between 2012 and 2016. All patients received six cycles of dose-adjusted EPOCH-R without RT. At a median follow-up of 59 months, there were 14 events, including four patients with viable cells in the residual mass at the completion of therapy, eight progressions or relapses, and two secondary malignancies, including one case of Hodgkin lymphoma and one case of acute promyelocytic leuk

8 min

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