{"entity":{"id":"paper-keynote-204-pembrolizumab-vs-brentuximab-rr-hodgkin-lancet-oncol-2021","kind":"paper","name":"KEYNOTE-204: pembrolizumab versus brentuximab vedotin in relapsed or refractory classical Hodgkin lymphoma","aka":[],"tldr":"In a head-to-head trial, the PD-1 antibody pembrolizumab kept relapsed Hodgkin lymphoma at bay for longer than brentuximab vedotin, making immunotherapy the preferred choice after transplant failure or for patients who cannot have a transplant.","summary":"International randomised open-label phase 3 trial of 304 patients with relapsed or refractory classical Hodgkin lymphoma after autologous transplant or ineligible for it, assigned to pembrolizumab or brentuximab vedotin.\n\nAt the interim analysis median progression-free survival was 13.2 months with pembrolizumab against 8.3 months with brentuximab vedotin (hazard ratio 0.65), with benefit across subgroups including those with primary refractory disease; pneumonitis was more frequent with pembrolizumab and neuropathy with brentuximab vedotin.","asOf":"2026-09-18","links":[{"label":"Lancet Oncol 2021","url":"https://doi.org/10.1016/S1470-2045(21)00005-X"},{"label":"PubMed","url":"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33721562/"}],"tags":[],"related":[],"cancers":["relapsed-refractory-hodgkin-lymphoma"],"sections":[],"technologies":[],"targets":[],"drugs":["pembrolizumab","brentuximab-vedotin"],"companies":[],"institutions":[],"pathways":[],"terms":[],"trials":["keynote-204"],"people":[],"bottlenecks":[],"keyPapers":[],"journals":["lancet-oncology"],"dependsOn":[],"notes":[],"journal":"The Lancet Oncology","year":2021,"doi":"10.1016/S1470-2045(21)00005-X","pmid":"33721562","authors":"Kuruvilla J, Ramchandren R, Santoro A, et al.","paperType":"rct","findings":["Median progression-free survival 13.2 months with pembrolizumab versus 8.3 months with brentuximab vedotin; hazard ratio 0.65.","Grade 3 to 5 treatment-related adverse events in a similar proportion, with different profiles (pneumonitis versus neuropathy)."],"whatItMeans":"PD-1 blockade is the standard for classical Hodgkin lymphoma that has relapsed after or is unsuitable for autologous transplant, ahead of brentuximab vedotin in most patients.","caveats":["Open-label interim analysis; overall survival data were immature.","Most patients had not received either drug before, which is now uncommon as both move into first-line therapy."],"changedPractice":true,"participants":304},"route":"/key-papers/paper-keynote-204-pembrolizumab-vs-brentuximab-rr-hodgkin-lancet-oncol-2021/","neighbours":{"cancer":[{"id":"relapsed-refractory-hodgkin-lymphoma","kind":"cancer","name":"Relapsed and refractory classical Hodgkin lymphoma","route":"/cancers/relapsed-refractory-hodgkin-lymphoma/"}],"drug":[{"id":"brentuximab-vedotin","kind":"drug","name":"Brentuximab vedotin","route":"/drugs/brentuximab-vedotin/"},{"id":"pembrolizumab","kind":"drug","name":"Pembrolizumab","route":"/drugs/pembrolizumab/"}],"trial":[{"id":"keynote-204","kind":"trial","name":"KEYNOTE-204","route":"/trials/keynote-204/"}],"journal":[{"id":"lancet-oncology","kind":"journal","name":"The Lancet Oncology","route":"/journals/lancet-oncology/"}]}}