Use of Panobinostat in Patients with Classical Hodgkin Lymphoma

SUMMARY Panobinostat is a deacetylase inhibitor that exerts antitumor activity by modifying the acetylation status of histones and other critical cellular proteins. Panobinostat as a single agent produced an overall response rate of 27% in patients with relapsed or recurrent Hodgkin lymphoma after stem cell transplantation. Clinical trials of panobinostat combined with chemotherapy or with other targeting agents such as mTOR inhibitors or lenalidomide have shown promising interim results. The most common toxicity with panobinostat as a single agent or in combination is thrombocytopenia. Patient enrollment in ongoing or future clinical trials of panobinostat is encouraged so that the role of this agent in patients with recurrent classical Hodgkin lymphoma can be further studied.