Belinostat for the treatment of peripheral T-cell lymphomas.

Belinostat is a novel histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor that is being developed in various solid tumors and hematologic malignancies. HDACs have been found to be important in the epigenetic regulation of cancer progression and inhibition of these molecules in preclinical studies induces cancer cell apoptosis and prevents tumor growth. Several HDAC molecules have been found to be overexpressed in peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL) and therefore HDAC inhibition has been an important new target in treating these malignancies which have traditionally had poor outcomes and limited treatment response. Phase I studies were tested across a broad range of hematologic and solid tumors and showed stability of disease in various tumor types with low rates of adverse events. This made it acceptable to proceed with further testing in specific tumor types to further determine efficacy. Two phase II studies have been completed with belinostat given intravenously in the relapsed/refractory PTCL setting with at least 25% overall response and minimal toxicities. These findings have led to a request for accelerated approval to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for belinostat in this setting. This review will discuss the preclinical pharmacology, pharmacokinetics and clinical efficacy to date of belinostat in the treatment of PTCL.