Ibrutinib and Brentuximab Vedotin in Treating Patients With Relapsed or Refractory Hodgkin Lymphoma

Inclusion Criteria

• •Patients must have histologically documented or cytologically confirmed Hodgkin lymphoma with CD30 expression
• •Patients must have absolute neutrophil count (ANC) \>= 1000/uL; neupogen can be given before and during treatment to achieve target ANC \>= 1000/uL
• •Patients must have platelets (plt) \>= 50,000/uL; platelet transfusion and packed red blood cell transfusion can also be given prior to the start of treatment and during treatment to achieve a target plt \>= 50,000/uL provided that patients have not received growth factors for at least 14 days prior to entering trial
• •Patients must have hemoglobin \>= 8.5 g/dl; platelet transfusion and packed red blood cell transfusion can also be given prior to the start of treatment and during treatment to achieve a target hemoglobin of \>= 8.5/ul provided that patients have not received growth factors for at least 14 days prior to entering trial
• •Patients must have measurable disease \> 1.5 cm evidenced by computed tomography (CT) scan of the neck/chest/abdomen (abd)/pelvis or CT/positron emission tomography (PET) scans
• •Patients must be either refractory to or relapsed after 1 line of therapy
• •Prior radiation therapy is allowed
• •Voluntary written informed consent before performance of any study-related procedure not part of normal medical care, with the understanding that consent may be withdrawn by the subject at any time without prejudice to future medical care
• •Female subject is either post-menopausal, surgically sterilized, or willing to use an acceptable method of birth control (i.e. a hormonal contraceptive, intra-uterine device, diaphragm with spermicide, condom with spermicide, or abstinence) for the duration of the study
• •Male subject agrees to use an acceptable method of contraception for the duration of the study
• •Over 40 kg; life expectancy of greater than 3 months
• •Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) of 0-2
• •Total bilirubin within 1.5 x the upper limit of normal institutional limits; patients with elevation of unconjugated bilirubin alone, as in Gilbert's disease, are eligible
• •Aspartate aminotransferase (AST)/alanine aminotransferase (ALT) =\< 3.0 x institutional upper limit of normal (unless demonstrated Hodgkin lymphoma involvement of the liver); estimated creatinine clearance \>= 30 ml/min (Cockcroft-Gault) and/or 24 urine analysis as needed
• •Prothrombin time (PT)/international normalized ratio (INR) \< 1.5 x upper limit of normal (ULN) and partial thromboplastin time (PTT) (activated PTT \[aPTT\]) \< 1.5 x ULN
• •The effects of brentuximab vedotin and ibrutinib on the developing fetus is unknowm; for this reason, women of child-bearing potential and men must agree to use adequate contraception (hormonal or barrier method of birth control or abstinence) prior to study entry and for six months following duration of study participation; should a woman become pregnant or suspect that she is pregnant while participating on the trial, she should inform her treating physician immediately
• •All subjects must have the ability to understand and the willingness to sign a written informed consent; they are to give voluntary written informed consent before performance of any study-related procedure not part of normal medical care, with the understanding that consent may be withdrawn by the subject at any time without prejudice to future medical care
• •Patient must be either refractory to or relapsed after 1 line of therapy
• •Prior hematopoietic transplantation is allowed (autologous and/or allogeneic)
• •Prior brentuximab vedotin is allowed provided that patients were not refractory (defined as developing progressive disease while on treatment or progressed within 3 months of finished last dose of brentuximab vedotin)
• •Prior ibrutinib for Hodgkin lymphoma is not allowed
• •Diagnosed or treated for another malignancy within 3 years of enrollment, with the exception of complete resection of basal cell carcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma of the skin, an in situ malignancy, or low-risk prostate cancer after curative therapy
• •Patients with active central nervous system (CNS) disease or history of brain metastases are excluded from study
• •Patients may be on steroids prior to initiation of treatment, provided that, by cycle 1 day 1, steroids use was tapered down to less than or equal to 20 mg of prednisone
• •Pregnant women are excluded from this study because of the potential teratogenic or abortifacient effects; because there is an unknown but potential risk for adverse events in nursing infants secondary to treatment of the mother, breastfeeding should be discontinued
• •Vaccinated with live, attenuated vaccines within 4 weeks of first dose of study drug
• •Recent infection requiring systemic treatment that was completed =\< 14 days before the first dose of study drug
• •Known active infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis C virus (HCV) or hepatitis B virus (HBV); testing to be done only if patients suspected of having infections or exposures; subjects who are positive for hepatitis B core antibody or hepatitis B surface antigen must have a negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) result before enrollment; those who are PCR positive will be excluded; subjects who have an undetectable human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) viral load with CD4 \>= 200 and are on highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) medication are allowed
• •Currently active, clinically significant hepatic impairment Child-Pugh class B or C according to the Child Pugh classification
• •STUDY-SPECIFIC EXCLUSIONS:
• •Patient has hypersensitivity to brentuximab vedotin
• •Refractory to prior brentuximab vedotin (defined as developing progressive disease while on treatment or progressed within 3 month of finished last dose of brentuximab vedotin)
• •No active graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) or on immunosuppressive medication for GVHD
• •Recent infection requiring intravenous anti-infective treatment that was completed =\< 14 days before the first dose of study drug