BV is an antibody-drug conjugate formed by an anti-CD30 chimeric IgG1 conjugated with monomethyl-auristatin-E. BV targets the CD30+ cells, which characterize Hodgkin lymphoma as well as anaplastic large cell lymphoma. Once bound to the CD30+ cells BV exerts its cytotoxic effect via the monomethyl-auristatin-E moiety. So far, accounts on immediate adverse reactions to BV remain anecdotal. Moreover, few reports exist on desensitization for BV. The research design was a single case study design and was done with the purpose to explore the outcomes of rapid desensitization.
A 20-year old male patient was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma. The first-line treatment with adriblastine, bleomycin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine leads to partial remission. Treatment with BV was started. However, during the second BV infusion, he developed generalized urticaria and dyspnea. In order not to discontinue the treatment with BV, a thorough allergological workup was performed and a 12-step rapid desensitization protocol was designed. Overall the desensitization procedure was well tolerated and no major adverse reactions occurred.
The study concluded through its findings that rapid desensitization is a suitable and safe option in the case of BV allergy and prevents BV treatment withdrawal.
Reference: https://clinicalmolecularallergy.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12948-018-0100-0
