This study is looking at early-stage favorable classic Hodgkin lymphoma, which is a type of cancer that affects the lymphatic system, a part of the body’s defense system against infections. The lymphatic system includes lymph nodes, which are small bean-shaped structures found throughout the body. In this form of the disease, the cancer is found in only one or two groups of lymph nodes on the same side of the diaphragm, which is the muscle that separates the chest from the belly, and there are no other concerning features present. The treatment being studied involves a medicine called pembrolizumab, which is also known by the code names MK-3475 and lambrolizumab, followed by radiotherapy, which is a treatment that uses high-energy rays to destroy cancer cells.
The purpose of this study is to estimate how well the treatment with pembrolizumab followed by radiotherapy works in people with this type of lymphoma. Pembrolizumab is an anti-PD-1 antibody, which means it works by helping the body’s own immune system recognize and fight the cancer cells more effectively. The medicine is given through an infusion, which means it is slowly delivered into a vein over a period of time. After completing the pembrolizumab treatment, patients will receive radiotherapy to the areas where the cancer was found.
During the study, patients will receive pembrolizumab at a dose of up to 200 milligrams per treatment session, with a maximum total dose of 1200 milligrams over a treatment period of up to six weeks. The study will check how well the treatment works by measuring whether the disease comes back or gets worse within one year after treatment starts. Doctors will also look at the status of the disease after the pembrolizumab treatment and again after the radiotherapy is completed. Additional measurements will include how many patients are alive without their disease getting worse at two years, how many patients are alive at one and two years, any unwanted effects that occur during and after treatment, and how patients feel during and after their treatment through questionnaires.
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