A clinical study led by researchers of the IDIBELL hematopoietic and lymphoid tumor research group and the dermatology service of the Bellvitge University Hospital (HUB) confirms that brentuximab vedotin is effective and safe for some types of cutaneous lymphomas T cells (LCCT). This represents a significant advance for the treatment of these types of low-recurrence, albeit chronic, progressive and debilitating cancers.
LCCTs are collectively known as non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas. They begin as rashes on the skin when lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell, become cancerous through a process that is not yet known. Brentuximab is a type of targeted therapy with an antibody component that attaches to the CD30 protein, which is found on the surface of tumor cells, and which then releases the drug while destroying these cells.
The results -extracted from the study of 67 patients from 21 hospitals throughout the State and data from the Spanish Cutaneous Lymphoma Registry (RELCP)- have been published in the European Journal of Dermatology and Venereology. The work has been coordinated by Dr. Cristina Muniesa, researcher at IDIBELL, HUB and Hospital de Viladecans, and has counted on the thrust of the Fundación Piel Sana AEDV.
Until now, the actual clinical practice with brentuximab vedotin was very limited in LCCTs, due to the low prevalence of these cancers.
However, this study opens new paths for treatment research, providing new data on the effectiveness of this immunotherapy in the treatment of advanced forms of mycosis fungoides and CD30+ lymphoproliferative disorders, as well as for Sézary syndrome and mycosis fungoides follicular
The follow-up data 18 months after the start with the treatment cycles show that 67% of the patients responded to the drug and 24% had achieved total remission of the plaques and tumors they presented on the skin. According to the publication, the therapy is generally well tolerated, although neuropathy is the most frequent adverse effect, affecting 57% of patients.
IDIBELL and Bellvitge Hospital, leaders in cutaneous lymphomas
The research group on hematopoietic and lymphoid tumors of IDIBELL and HUB continuously generates knowledge in the field of cutaneous lymphomas. In the recent months, Dra. Cristina Muniesa and Dr. Octavi Servitje have published in the prestigious The Lancet Haematology the results of a clinical trial evaluating the use of topical pimecrolimus in mycosis fungoides.
In addition, at the end of this past October, Bellvitge Hospital hosted the LXXXV meeting of the Lymphoma Club of the Spanish Society of Pathological Anatomy and the Cutaneous Lymphoma Group of the Spanish Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, organized by Dr. Fina Climent and Dr. Octavi Servitje, from IDIBELL and HUB.
The Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL) is a biomedical research center created in 2004. It is participated by the Bellvitge University Hospital and the Viladecans Hospital of the Catalan Institute of Health, the Catalan Institute of Oncology, the University of Barcelona and the City Council of L’Hospitalet de Llobregat.
IDIBELL is a member of the Campus of International Excellence of the University of Barcelona HUBc and is part of the CERCA institution of the Generalitat de Catalunya. In 2009 it became one of the first five Spanish research centers accredited as a health research institute by the Carlos III Health Institute. In addition, it is part of the “HR Excellence in Research” program of the European Union and is a member of EATRIS and REGIC. Since 2018, IDIBELL has been an Accredited Center of the AECC Scientific Foundation (FCAECC).