title: Alternative salvage regimens for relapsed/refractory classical Hodgkin's lymphoma.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Hodgkin's lymphoma (HL) is a well-curable disease. The treatment usually includes combined multiagent conventional chemotherapy and radiotherapy. One-fifth of the patients need repeated treatments because of relapse or primary progressive disease. Those HL patients, who cannot be cured at least with salvage therapy (including autologous haemopoietic stem cell transplantation (auto-HSCT)), have really unfavourable prognosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  For this heavily pretreated subset of HL patients, novel but less toxic treatment strategies should be considered. Brentuximab-vedotin (BV) is a novel targeted treatment option, which was administered after the failure of two different regimens in patients, who were ineligible for auto-HSCT or after the failure of auto-HSCT. Moreover, there are favourable data with chemotherapeutical regimens supplemented with rituximab not only in relapsed but also in newly diagnosed classical HL patients. Bendamustine, an almost forgotten 50-year-old drug, lives its renaissance in the twenty-first century, which can be administered in refractory HL as well. Combination of the 'new' and 'old' drugs might be also helpful.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data suggest that rituximab plus bendamustine (supplemented with or without BV) could be a suitable alternative bridging salvage therapy for heavily pretreated HL patients.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Hematology , Institute for Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen , Debrecen , Hungary.
authors.forename: Ferenc
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Magyari
authors.affiliation: b Scanomed Ltd , Debrecen , Hungary.
authors.forename: Sándor
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Barna
authors.affiliation: a Department of Hematology , Institute for Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen , Debrecen , Hungary.
authors.forename: Kata
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Husi
authors.affiliation: a Department of Hematology , Institute for Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen , Debrecen , Hungary.
authors.forename: Zsófia
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Simon
authors.affiliation: a Department of Hematology , Institute for Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen , Debrecen , Hungary.
authors.forename: Zsófia
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Miltényi
authors.affiliation: a Department of Hematology , Institute for Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen , Debrecen , Hungary.
authors.forename: László
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Váróczy
authors.affiliation: a Department of Hematology , Institute for Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen , Debrecen , Hungary.
authors.forename: Miklós
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Udvardy
authors.affiliation: a Department of Hematology , Institute for Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Debrecen , Debrecen , Hungary.
authors.forename: Árpád
authors.initials: Á
authors.lastname: Illés
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000079963:Brentuximab Vedotin; D005260:Female; D006689:Hodgkin Disease / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D018796:Immunoconjugates / Q000008:administration & dosage; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology; D000069283:Rituximab / Q000008:administration & dosage; D016879:Salvage Therapy; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D018796:Immunoconjugates; D000069283:Rituximab; D000079963:Brentuximab Vedotin
keywords: 18FDG-PET/CT; Bendamustine; Brentuximab-vedotin; Classical HL; Rituximab