Current Research

Research for Hodgkin lymphoma is ongoing. The following advances may still be under investigation in clinical trials and may not be approved or available at this current time. Always discuss all diagnostic and treatment options with your doctor.

New drugs. To reduce side effects and improve the effectiveness of treatment, it is critical for researchers to find new drugs, as well as new combinations of current drugs. The Children’s Oncology Group has an ongoing study evaluating bortezomib in combination with gemcitabine and vinorelbine. Bortezomib is thought to prevent the movement of NFkB to the cell nucleus where it interferes with cell death pathways. NFkB is constitutively expressed in Hodgkin lymphoma. The theory is that inhibition of NFkB will allow chemotherapy (in this study, gemcitabine and vinorelbine) to induce tumor cell death.

ALLO stem cell transplantation. As explained in the Treatment section, stem cell transplantation is sometimes used in the treatment of Hodgkin lymphoma. Doctors are researching the possible expansion of its use, including using donor blood stem cells to replace the patient’s bone marrow (called allogenic or ALLO transplantation). Other novel agents are attempting to induce GVHD after autologous (AUTO) transplantation, to potentially reduce the side effects.

Overall, the major goal of Hodgkin lymphoma research is to improve treatment effectiveness while reducing long-term side effects. Early response of the disease to a specific treatment is being studied as a method to tailor therapy to the individual. Shorter, more intensive regimens may improve effectiveness. It is critical that researchers learn which patients need radiation therapy to ensure cure, and who may be cured without the long-term consequences of radiation exposure.