Real-World Efficacy and Safety of PD-1 Antibody Monotherapy in Pediatric Lymphoma Patients

Strategic Insights -

Researchers from Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center have detailed new data on the effectiveness of PD-1 antibody monotherapy in pediatric lymphoma patients. According to the study, pediatric lymphoma patients generally exhibit a favorable long-term survival rate. The use of anti-programmed death-1 (PD-1) monoclonal antibodies has significantly improved response rates in adult patients with refractory/relapsed lymphoma, particularly in those with Hodgkin lymphoma and NK/T cell lymphoma.

Key Takeaways:

  • The study retrospectively analyzed data from 41 pediatric lymphoma patients who received PD-1 antibody treatment between March 2017 and October 2022.
  • The overall response rate for the entire cohort was 82.9%, with 51.2% achieving complete response (CR) and 31.7% achieving partial response (PR).
  • Only two patients died due to disease progression, and the median follow-up period was 22.4 months.
  • PD-1 antibodies were generally well-tolerated, particularly in patients receiving monotherapy.
  • The study's findings suggest that PD-1 antibody treatment offers a high response rate and low toxicity in pediatric lymphoma patients.
  • The research was funded by The National Key Research And Development Project, Cancer Innovative Research Program of Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, The National Natural Science Foundation of China, and Guangzhou Science And Technology Project.
  • The study's authors include Yingxia Lan, Zizheng Xiao, Yi Que, Yi Wang, Ye Hong, Juan Wang, Suying Lu, Junting Huang, Feifei Sun, Zijun Zhen, Juan Liu, Jiaqian Xu, Yanpeng Wu, Lanying Guo, M. James You, Jia Zhu, and Yizhuo Zhang.

Statistics:

  • 82.9%: Overall response rate for the entire cohort
  • 51.2%: Complete response (CR) rate
  • 31.7%: Partial response (PR) rate
  • 63.0 ± 8.5%: Two-year progression-free survival (PFS) rate
  • 22.4 months: Median follow-up period
  • 2: Number of patients who died due to disease progression

Sources:

  • NewsRx. Research from Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center Broadens Understanding of Lymphoma (Real-world study of efficacy and safety of PD-1 antibody monotherapy and combination therapy in pediatric lymphoma patients). Hematology Week. June 23, 2025; p 3542.
  • Holistic Integrative Oncology. Real-world study of efficacy and safety of PD-1 antibody monotherapy and combination therapy in pediatric lymphoma patients. 2025, 4(1):1-10. (Publisher: Springer)