New dawn for lymphoma treatment: the rise of CD30 targeted therapy

New dawn for lymphoma treatment: the rise of CD30 targeted therapy

In the big family of cancer, lymphoma is a complex and huge existence. It originates from the lymphatic hematopoietic system and covers more than 70 different subtypes, collectively referred to as the "lymphoma family". In recent years, the incidence of lymphoma has continued to rise, and it has become one of the top ten malignant tumors with the highest mortality rate in my country. According to data, about 93,000 people are diagnosed with lymphoma in my country each year, and more than 50,000 people die from this cancer. This grim reality makes the treatment of lymphoma a difficult problem that the medical community urgently needs to overcome.

In the fight against lymphoma, CAR-T cell therapy is like a bright new star, illuminating the frontier of tumor cell immunotherapy. In 2017, Novartis' Kymriah and Gilead's Kite's Yescarta were approved for marketing by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). They both target CD19, bringing new hope to patients with blood tumors. In December of the same year, the China National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) issued the "Technical Guidelines for Research and Evaluation of Cell Therapy Products" (Trial), which included cell therapy products in the scope of drug registration and application management. The introduction of this policy, like a spring breeze, has stimulated the enthusiasm for the development of domestic CAR-T cell drugs.

Among the many targets of CAR-T cell therapy, CD19 undoubtedly occupies a dominant position, accounting for 75.61% of the number of reported varieties. However, CAR-T products targeting CD30 stand out among them and show their unique charm. CD30 is a membrane protein receptor located on activated lymphocytes and belongs to the tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily. It is mainly expressed in refractory diseases such as Hodgkin's lymphoma and anaplastic large cell lymphoma, while its expression on the surface of normal cells and tissues is very low or even not expressed. This feature makes CD30 a highly potential therapeutic target.

For patients with relapsed or refractory systemic anaplastic large cell lymphoma and classical Hodgkin's lymphoma, traditional treatments are often limited in effect, and the survival of patients is worrying. Fortunately, the specific expression of CD30 has brought a new turn for treatment. Antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) have made breakthroughs in the CD30 target. In August 2011, CD30-ADC vemoxicillin (trade name Adcetris®) was first launched in the United States, bringing new treatment options for patients with Hodgkin's lymphoma and systemic anaplastic large cell lymphoma. In May 2020, Takeda's targeted innovative drug Ansari® (vemoxicillin for injection) was also approved by NMPA to enter China, bringing good news to domestic patients.

However, although CD30-ADC drugs have achieved remarkable results in treatment, they still have the limitation of easy drug resistance. In order to overcome this problem, CAR-T cell therapy has once again stepped forward. Based on the feasibility of targeted CD30 cell therapy, many pharmaceutical companies have devoted themselves to the research and development of CD30 CAR-T cell drugs.

In China, patients with relapsed or refractory lymphoma have a relatively narrow range of treatment options, and they generally face problems such as short survival and poor quality of life. Classical Hodgkin's lymphoma and anaplastic large cell lymphoma are both lymphoma subtypes that express CD30. Today, CD30-ADC has changed the treatment status of CD30-positive tumors, and CD30 CAR-T cell therapy has also shown excellent anti-tumor efficacy in the treatment of lymphoma. We have reason to expect that as innovative cell drugs targeting CD30, CAR-T cell drugs and CD30-ADC drugs will work together to open a new era of precision treatment of lymphoma and bring more hope and light to patients.