The aim of the trial is to establish an individualized first-line treatment incorporating checkpoint inhibition for early-stage unfavorable cHL, which is effective and well tolerated.

Programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1) blockade is highly effective and well tolerated in relapsed or refractory cHL and has also demonstrated efficacy in the first-line treatment of cHL in combination with doxorubicin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine (AVD) in the phase II GHSG NIVAHL trial. A relevant proportion of patients achieved an early metabolic complete remission (CR) with anti-PD-1 monotherapy and might not require standard chemo- or radiotherapy. Limiting therapy-associated short- and long-term side effects of these conventional treatments including impaired quality of life, second primary malignancies or organ damage is of utmost importance in the predominantly young cHL patients. This trial will hence further reduce treatment intensity and provide a chemo- and radiotherapy-free therapy to optimally responding patients.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age 18-60 for the main trial cohort

• Age ≥ 61 years and eligible for AVD as determined by CIRS-G score and investigator for the exploratory cohort

• First diagnosis of treatment-naïve cHL

• Early-stage unfavorable disease (i.e. stage IA, IB and IIA with risk factors a-d, stage IIB with risk factors c-d):

  1. large mediastinal mass

  2. extranodal lesion(s)

  3. elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate

  4. ≥ 3 nodal areas

     Exclusion Criteria:

• Presence of nodular-lymphocyte predominant Hodgkin lymphoma, grey-zone lymphoma and/or central nervous system involvement of lymphoma