TOPLINE:

A retrospective multicentre analysis found that brentuximab vedotin (BV) with radiotherapy achieved complete or partial remission in 93% of patients with CD30-positive cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) with no unexpected toxicities.

METHODOLOGY:

• Researchers conducted a retrospective multicentre analysis of 14 patients (median age, 57.5 years; 21% women) with CD30-positive CTCL from six German cancer centres who had received at least one previous systemic therapy.
• Patients received BV for a median of 9.5 cycles (range, 2-16), with radiotherapy initiated either simultaneously between BV cycles or sequentially within 3 months before or after BV treatment.
• Radiotherapy was delivered at doses ranging from 8 to 30 Gy, with most patients receiving low-dose regimens of ≤ 12 Gy, administered either locally (n = 11) or as total skin electron beam therapy (n = 3).
• Outcomes included complete response; partial response; progressive disease, with progression-free survival calculated from BV initiation until disease progression; and adverse events.

TAKEAWAY:

• The initial response was seen in 93% of patients, with 14% having a complete response as the best overall response; 43% of patients showed a global response of complete or partial response; however, 50% of patients experienced a progressive disease.
• At a median follow-up of 14.4 months, the median progression-free survival was 12 months (95% CI, 7.3 to not available), with a 1-year rate of 34% (95% CI, 12.9-90.1).
• Four patients died during follow-up, including one lymphoma-associated death, with 64% of patients receiving at least one subsequent therapy.
• Adverse events occurred in 71% of patients; however, only 21% experienced high-grade adverse events (grade ≥ 3), with lymphopenia, neutropenia, and radiodermatitis being the most common; peripheral neuropathy occurred in 43% of patients. No uncommon or unexpected toxicities were reported.

IN PRACTICE:

"Our real-world data show that treating advanced CD30-positive CTCL with BV in sequential or simultaneous combination with RTx [radiotherapy] (either TSEBT [total skin electron beam therapy] or localized RTx) is a feasible, well-tolerated therapeutic option with no signs of exaggerated/unexpected toxicities," the authors wrote.

SOURCE:

This study was led by Patrick Schummer, Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Allergology, University Hospital Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany. It was published online on September 30, 2025, in JDDG: Journal der Deutschen Dermatologischen Gesellschaft.

LIMITATIONS:

This study had unsystematic documentation and heterogeneous treatment regimens in a real-world setting. Furthermore, the small number of patients and preferential inclusion of advanced-stage disease restricted the generalisability of the findings.

DISCLOSURES:

Open access funding was provided by Projekt DEAL. Two authors reported receiving support from TWINSIGHT, a Clinician Scientist College at the Medical Faculty of the University of Würzburg funded by the Else Kröner-Fresenius-Stiftung. Several authors reported receiving honoraria or travel grants and having other ties with various sources. Additional disclosures are noted in the original article.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.