Neutropenia during frontline treatment of advanced Hodgkin lymphoma: Incidence, risk factors, and management

Abstract

Neutropenia, specifically febrile neutropenia (FN), can have profound sequelae (infection, hospitalization, mortality), and the risk of its development differs across chemotherapy regimens/according to patient characteristics. We conducted a comprehensive literature review regarding neutropenia in frontline treatment of adults with advanced Hodgkin lymphoma. Guidelines state primary prophylaxis (PP) with colony-stimulating factors (CSFs) should be implemented when the risk of FN is ≥20%; CSF PP is given with standard-of-care escalated BEACOPP, but the risk of FN with standard-of-care ABVD does not necessitate routine PP. Notably, the risk of neutropenia (including FN) is higher in clinical practice versus clinical studies, and physicians overestimate their adherence to CSF guidelines. ECHELON-1 demonstrated higher FN rates with brentuximab vedotin plus AVD (A + AVD) compared with ABVD (19% vs 8%) and led to the recommendation of PP with granulocyte-CSF (G-CSF) for all A + AVD patients, highlighting the importance of readjusting our risk-assessment thinking as standard backbone regimens are modified.