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3068 Efficacy and Safety of Pembrolizumab and Chemotherapy in Newly-Diagnosed, Early Unfavorable or Advanced Classic Hodgkin Lymphoma: The Phase 2 Keynote-C11 Study

Program: Oral and Poster Abstracts
Session: 624. Hodgkin Lymphomas and T/NK cell Lymphomas: Clinical and Epidemiological: Poster II
Hematology Disease Topics & Pathways:
clinical trials, Hodgkin lymphoma, Lymphomas, Clinical Research, Diseases, Lymphoid Malignancies
Sunday, December 10, 2023, 6:00 PM-8:00 PM

Ranjana H. Advani, MD1, Abraham Avigdor, MD2, Anna Maria Sureda Balari, MD, PhD3, David Lavie4*, Stefan Hohaus, MD5*, Jan M. Zaucha6*, Vu Minh Hua, MBBS PhD FRACP FRCPA7*, Vittorio Ruggero Zilioli8*, Raimundo Gazitua, MD9*, Muhit Ozcan, MD10, Amos Odeleye-Ajakaye11*, Nishitha Reddy11*, Patricia Marinello, PharmD11 and Jane N. Winter, MD12*

1Division of Oncology, Stanford University Institute, Stanford, CA
2Division of Hematology and Bone Marrow Transplantation, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel-Hashomer, and School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
3Clinical Hematology, Institut Català d'Oncologia-Hospitalet, IDIBELL, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
4Department of Hematology, Hadassah-Hebrew University Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel
5Unit of Extramedullary Lymphoproliferative Diseases, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Rome, Italy
6Department of Hematology and Transplantology, Medical University of Gdańsk, Gdansk, Poland
7Hematology Department, Liverpool Hospital, Sydney, NSW, Australia
8Division of Hematology, ASST Grande Ospedale Metropolitano Niguarda, Milano, Italy
9Instituto Oncológico Fundación Arturo López Pérez, Santiago, Chile
10Hematology Department, Ankara University School of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey
11Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ
12Division of Hematology/Oncology, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL

Introduction: The phase 2 KEYNOTE-C11 study (NCT05008224) evaluates the safety and efficacy of pembrolizumab (pembro) followed by AVD chemotherapy (chemotherapy) and pembro consolidation in patients with untreated, early unfavorable or advanced-stage cHL without radiotherapy. The criteria for study continuation were met at the pre-specified interim futility analysis after pembrolizumab induction and 2 cycles of AVD, with approximately 3 months of follow-up. We present results of an analysis of efficacy and safety in all enrolled patients with an additional 8 months of follow-up.

Methods: Patients aged ≥18 years with newly-diagnosed, early unfavorable or advanced stage cHL, received induction with pembrolizumab 200 mg IV on d1 Q3W for 3 cycles, followed by a PET2 to determine response. All patients then received 2 cycles standard dose AVD on d1 and 15 for 2 cycles (chemotherapy phase 1) followed by PET3. Patients who were PET3-negative (Deauville score 1-3) received 2-4 additional cycles AVD based on bulk. Patients aged ≤60 years who were PET3-positive (Deauville score 4-5) received 2-4 cycles of escalated bleomycin plus etoposide, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, procarbazine, and prednisone (escBEACOPP, chemotherapy phase 2). All patients then received consolidation pembrolizumab 400 mg Q6W for 4 cycles followed by a PET4 assessment. The primary endpoint for this analysis was investigator assessed PET3-negativity response in all treated patients. A posthoc PET analysis was also performed in the actuarial population of all treated patients who reached PET2 or PET3.

Results: At data cut-off (Apr 5, 2023), the median (range) follow-up was 11.8 months (9.7-17.6). A total of 146 patients with untreated cHL were enrolled. Median (range) age was 34.5 years (18-78); 32 (22%) patients had bulky disease, 84 (57%) and 62 (43%), respectively, had advanced and early unfavorable disease. Of 146 patients, 137 (94%) had completed pembrolizumab monotherapy, 130 of 136 (96%) who proceeded to chemotherapy phase 1 completed chemotherapy phase 1, and 127 of 130 (98%) completed chemotherapy phase 2 (111 [AVD]; 16 [BEACOPP]). The PET2-negativity rate was 29% and 31% in all treated patients (N=146) and the actuarial population (n=137), respectively. The PET3-negativity rate was 70% and 78% in all treated patients (N=146) and the actuarial population (n=131), respectively. The ORR at end of PET2 and PET3 was 78% and 88%, respectively. Grade ≥3 drug related adverse events (AEs) were reported in 23 of 146 (16%) patients who received pembrolizumab alone or at consolidation, 94 of 136 (69%) patients who received AVD, and in 10 of 17 (59%) patients who received escBEACOPP. Immune mediated AEs were reported in 37 (25%) patients who received pembrolizumab alone and consolidation, most commonly hyperthyroidism (10%) and hypothyroidism (6%). There were no deaths due to study drug related or immune-mediated AEs.

Conclusion: Pembrolizumab induction followed by chemotherapy continued to be well tolerated in patients with newly-diagnosed, early unfavorable, or advanced-stage cHL, with 70% achieving a PET3-negative response as assessed by investigator after the initial chemotherapy phase. There were no new safety concerns and study is ongoing.

Disclosures: Advani: Genentech: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Beigene: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Regeneron: Research Funding; Epizyme: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Incyte: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Roche: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; ADCT: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Cyteir: Research Funding; Merck: Research Funding; Gilead: Research Funding; Seagen: Research Funding. Avigdor: Gilead: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Takeda: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Roche: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; BMS: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; AbbVie: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Travel/Accommodations/Expenses; MSD: Research Funding. Sureda Balari: MSD: Research Funding; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Kite: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau. Lavie: MSD: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Travel/Accommodation expenses, lecture; Medisson: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; AbbVie: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Advisory Board and Travel/Accommodation expenses; Novartis: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Lecture; Takeda: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Lecture; Roche: Honoraria, Other: Advisory Board. Hohaus: MSD: Research Funding. Zaucha: Medical University of Gdańsk: Current Employment; BMS: Research Funding; Pierre Fabre, Takeda, BMS, Gilead, Novartis, Pfizer, Amgen, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, Astra Zeneca, Abbvie: Honoraria; MSD: Research Funding. Hua: MSD: Research Funding. Zilioli: Gilead: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; MSD: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Novartis: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Takeda: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: travel expenses, Speakers Bureau; Incyte: Speakers Bureau; Janssen: Other: travel expenses, Speakers Bureau; Lilly: Speakers Bureau; Servier: Speakers Bureau; Roche: Consultancy, Other: travel expenses. Gazitua: Pfizer: Other: Travel; BMS: Speakers Bureau; Roche: Other: Travel; Non-remunerated activity; MSD: Research Funding. Ozcan: Takeda: Research Funding; Acerta: Research Funding; Pfizer: Research Funding; MSD: Research Funding; Bayer: Research Funding; Janssen: Research Funding; PSI: Research Funding; Roche: Research Funding; Abbvie: Other: Travel/Accommodations/Expenses, Research Funding; Sandoz: Other: Travel/Accommodations/Expenses. Odeleye-Ajakaye: Merck & Co., Inc.: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Reddy: Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Marinello: Merck & Co., Inc.: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Winter: Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA: Research Funding.

*signifies non-member of ASH