Collaboration Advances Lymphoma Care: Andrew Evens, DO

Collaborative efforts between pediatric and adult oncologists are helping shape a bright future for adult and young adult (AYA) patients with Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma alike.

In this final installment of his interview with The American Journal of Managed Care^® (AJMC^®), Andrew Evens, DO, MBA, MSc, Rutgers Cancer Institute and Jack & Sheryl Morris Cancer Center, highlighted groundbreaking clinical trials—such as the ongoing SWOG1826 (NCT03907488) and AHOD2131 (NCT05675410) studies—that have united pediatric and adult research groups around novel immunotherapy interventions. Not only can working together speed up the timelines for these trials, he added, but grounding this research in interdisciplinary care is invaluable for influencing patients’ outcomes.

Additionally, he pointed to the growing momentum behind national research efforts, multidisciplinary workshops, and partnerships dedicated to a singular goal: improving outcomes and survivorship for AYA populations through truly integrated, cross-specialty approaches.

To view more from this interview, please see Evens’ discussion on the special challenges AYA patients face, barriers to optimizing NHL treatment, and the need to deepen clinical understandings of lymphoma in this age group.

Andrew Evens, DO

AJMC: Can you share some insights into some of the exciting, recent advances in NHL for AYA populations and any notable research efforts on the horizon?

Evens: Pediatric oncologist lymphoma experts and adult oncology lymphoma experts have different recipes or regimens. We have had a real harmonization over the last 5-plus years, with the national leadership from the NCI [National Cancer Institute] and CTEP [Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program], along with the Children's Oncology Group, lymphoma leaders, and the adult cooperative group leaders, working together on multiple clinical trials. We just finished a very large study for advanced-stage Hodgkin lymphoma that was called SWOG1826. And not only did all the adult cooperative groups, ECOG-ACRIN [Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group-American College of Radiology Imaging Network] alliance [participate]—even our Canadian colleagues participated—but the Children's Oncology Group participated and was involved in the planning from the very beginning.

It's one thing to say, “Oh, would you come join our study?” Or, “Can we work from the very beginning, regardless of pediatric or adult specialties, and come up with a potentially transformative clinical trial to improve outcomes?” And we did exactly that. The planning started before the pandemic. And the long story short is not only did we have a breakthrough of a new treatment option with improved likely cure rates of an immunotherapy checkpoint inhibitor—nivolumab [Opdivo]—but we did it in record time because we worked together. Instead of the pediatrics doing their own clinical trial that could continue for 5 years and us doing our own 5-year clinical trial, we accomplished it in 2 to 3 years. We did it faster, and we did it together, and it's now our harmonious recommendation.

We have another ongoing study that was for advanced-stage Hodgkin lymphoma. We have 1 that just started about a year and a half ago for early-stage Hodgkin lymphoma. It's called AHOD2131. That is a pediatric acronym, but all the adult groups are participating together, and it's also incorporating immunotherapy, checkpoint inhibitor treatment, and another novel targeted agent, brentuximab vedotin [SGN35].

Those are really discrete examples of progress and innovation. In the big picture, through the Lymphoma Research Foundation and the AYA Consortium, we've just had multiple meetings together. We just had a workshop last month in Jersey City, New Jersey, with 80 experts interested in AYA—not just pediatric or adult populations—clinicians, epidemiologists, survivorship experts, cardiologists, and other experts that are important for patients’ outcomes. Everyone gathered together to ask, “What are those most important research questions? How are we going to address them together?” There have been a lot of early wins, even though they weren't quick wins.