Introduction: Pembrolizumab is an immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) targeted against the programmed death 1 (PD-1) pathway, a key pathway in the biology of Classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL). Anti-PD-1 antibodies are approved for use in relapsed/refractory cHL but ongoing studies continue to optimize the use of this treatment.
Areas covered: This review highlights recent and established data regarding pembrolizumab in the management of relapsed/refractory cHL and emerging areas of study including translational biology, combinations with chemotherapy and trials earlier in the disease course.
Expert opinion: Pembrolizumab provides superior progression-free survival for patients with cHL who relapse post-autologous stem cell transplant or who have chemotherapy refractory disease and should be used in these high-risk populations. A key challenge remains the development of predictive biomarkers for anti-PD1 antibodies. There is promising evidence of the improved efficacy of salvage chemotherapy regimens and frontline regimens incorporating pembrolizumab but larger randomized studies are needed to demonstrate clear patient benefit.
Keywords: Classical hodgkin’s lymphoma; PD-1 inhibitors; anti-PD-1 antibodies; autologous stem cell transplant; immune checkpoint inhibitors; lymphoma; pembrolizumab.