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Meta-Analysis
. 2025 Jun;60(6):820-831.
doi: 10.1038/s41409-025-02557-7. Epub 2025 Apr 8.

Real-world outcomes of brentuximab vedotin as consolidation therapy after autologous stem cell transplantation in relapsed/refractory Hodgkin lymphoma: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Anna Sureda  1 , Astrid Pavlovsky  2   3   4 , Dalah Haidar  5 , Fjoralba Kristo  6 , Vanessa Stache  7 , Athanasios Zomas  7
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Real-world outcomes of brentuximab vedotin as consolidation therapy after autologous stem cell transplantation in relapsed/refractory Hodgkin lymphoma: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Anna Sureda et al. Bone Marrow Transplant. 2025 Jun.

Abstract

Brentuximab vedotin (BV) as post-autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) consolidation was shown to reduce the relapse risk among high-risk patients with relapsed/refractory Hodgkin lymphoma (RRHL) in the clinical trial setting. This systematic review and meta-analysis characterizes real-world evidence (RWE) on the effectiveness and safety of BV as post-ASCT consolidation in 1504 adult and pediatric patients with RRHL from 23 studies across 17 countries. A random-effects model yielded pooled progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival rates (OS); PFS: 2-year, 74.2%; 5-year, 65.8%; OS: 2-year, 95.8%; 5-year, 91.9%. The most common any-grade adverse events were neuropathy (34.2%) and neutropenia (20.2%). Despite heterogeneity in populations and outcomes, this analysis utilizing real-world data corroborates the efficacy and safety of BV as post-ASCT consolidation in RRHL reported in the experimental arm of the Phase III AETHERA trial. The favorable PFS results in cases exposed to BV prior to ASCT indicate the value of BV in controlling Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) in the salvage setting. Continued research is essential to refine BV treatment strategies amid the evolving treatment landscape.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: Anna Sureda reports honoraria from Takeda Pharmaceuticals, Bristol Myers Squibb/Celgene, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Janssen, Amgen, Novartis, Kite/Gilead, Sanofi, Roche, and Alexion; consultancy for Takeda Pharmaceuticals, Bristol Myers Squibb/Celgene, Novartis, Janssen, Gilead, and Sanofi; speakers bureau for Takeda Pharmaceuticals; research support from Takeda Pharmaceuticals and Bristol Myers Squibb/Celgene; and Presidency of the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation. Astrid Pavlovsky reports grants or contracts from Takeda Pharmaceuticals; consulting fees from Takeda Pharmaceuticals, Bristol Myers Squibb, and Merck Sharp & Dohme; and support from Roche and Takeda Pharmaceuticals to attend meetings. Dalah Haidar, Fjoralba Kristo, Vanessa Stache, and Athanasios Zomas are employees of Takeda Pharmaceuticals and hold shares in the company.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1. Systematic literature review process.
a PRISMA flowchart of search results; b Study characteristics. *Duplicates removed. †Selected congresses: The American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting and Exposition, European Hematology Association (EHA) Annual Congress, American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress, International Symposium on Hodgkin Lymphoma (ISHL), International Conference on Malignant Lymphoma (ICML), British Society of Haematology (BSH) Annual Scientific Meeting, Society of Hematologic Oncology (SOHO) Annual Meeting, International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) European Congress. ‡Some studies had patient data from more than one country. PRISMA: Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis.
Fig. 1
Fig. 1. Systematic literature review process.
a PRISMA flowchart of search results; b Study characteristics. *Duplicates removed. †Selected congresses: The American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting and Exposition, European Hematology Association (EHA) Annual Congress, American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress, International Symposium on Hodgkin Lymphoma (ISHL), International Conference on Malignant Lymphoma (ICML), British Society of Haematology (BSH) Annual Scientific Meeting, Society of Hematologic Oncology (SOHO) Annual Meeting, International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) European Congress. ‡Some studies had patient data from more than one country. PRISMA: Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2. Pooled estimates of PFS rates at 2, 3, and 5 years of follow-up in all patients based on PFS definitions.
a PFS rates at 2 years of follow-up. b PFS rates at 3 years of follow-up. c PFS rates at 5 years of follow-up. *PFS rates were estimated using Kaplan–Meier curves. †Heterogeneity was not computed for outcomes with data provided by only 1 or 2 studies. BV brentuximab vedotin, CI confidence interval, ES effect size, NC not calculated, PFS progression-free survival.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3. Pooled estimates of OS rates at 2, 3, and 5 years of follow-up in all patients based on OS definition.
a OS rates at 2 years of follow-up. b OS rates at 3 years of follow-up. c OS rates at 5 years of follow-up. *OS rates were estimated using Kaplan–Meier curves. BV brentuximab vedotin, CI confidence interval, ES effect size; NC not calculated, OS overall survival.
Fig. 4
Fig. 4. Pooled estimates of survival rates in patient subgroups at different time points during follow-up.
a PFS rates in BV-naïve and BV-exposed patients; b PFS rates in patients with positive and negative PET status; c OS rates in BV-naïve and BV-exposed patients. ASCT autologous stem cell transplantation, BV brentuximab vedotin, CI confidence interval, ES effect size, OS overall survival, PET positron emission tomography, PFS progression-free survival.
Fig. 5
Fig. 5. Pooled estimates of AEs in patients with RRHL treatment with BV as post-ASCT consolidation.
a Incidence of Grade 3–4 neuropathy. b Incidence of Grade 3–4 neutropenia. *Estimated. AE adverse event, ASCT autologous stem cell transplantation, BV brentuximab vedotin, CI confidence interval, ES effect size, NC not calculated, RRHL relapsed/refractory Hodgkin lymphoma.
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