First salvage treatment in patients with advanced germ cell cancer after cisplatin-based chemotherapy: analysis of a registry of the German Testicular Cancer Study Group (GTCSG)

J Cancer Res Clin Oncol. 2014 Jul;140(7):1211-20. doi: 10.1007/s00432-014-1661-z. Epub 2014 Apr 3.

Abstract

Purpose: We analyzed prognostic categories at first relapse according to the International Prognostic Factors Study Group (IPFSG) criteria as well as the efficacy of salvage treatment.

Methods: 143 patients with relapsed or refractory germ cell cancer undergoing first salvage treatment with conventional-dose (CD-CX, n = 48) or high-dose chemotherapy with autologous stem cell support (HD-CX, n = 95) contributed by nine centers were retrospectively analyzed.

Results: Prognostic subgroups according to IPFSG criteria were: very low risk 13/143, low risk 36/143, intermediate risk 66/143, high risk 22/143, and very high risk 6/143 patients. The IPFSG categories significantly correlated with overall survival (OS) (p = 0.025) after 1st salvage treatment. After a median follow-up of 19 months, 55 % of all patients had relapsed and 33 % had died. For the entire cohort, progression-free survival (PFS) rate after 2 years was 43 %, and OS rate after 5 years was 52 %. Compared to the HD-CX group, vital carcinoma was found more often in secondarily resected lesions following CD-CX (22/29 vs. 22/45; p = 0.021). Second relapse rate was higher with 75 versus 44 %, resulting in a shorter median PFS with 8 versus 42 months (p < 0.001), but this did not translate into different OS (p = 0.931). At subsequent relapses, 26/36 patients received HD-CX as ≥2nd-salvage treatment.

Conclusion: This analysis confirms the prognostic value of the IPFSG prognostic score. HD-CX seemed superior to CD-CX as first salvage treatment with respect to PFS in this retrospective analysis.

Publication types

  • Multicenter Study

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / therapeutic use*
  • Chemotherapy, Adjuvant
  • Cisplatin / administration & dosage*
  • Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
  • Germany / epidemiology
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Neoplasms, Germ Cell and Embryonal / drug therapy*
  • Neoplasms, Germ Cell and Embryonal / mortality
  • Neoplasms, Germ Cell and Embryonal / pathology
  • Registries / statistics & numerical data
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Salvage Therapy / methods*
  • Stem Cell Transplantation
  • Survival Analysis
  • Testicular Neoplasms / drug therapy*
  • Testicular Neoplasms / mortality
  • Testicular Neoplasms / pathology
  • Young Adult

Substances

  • Cisplatin

Supplementary concepts

  • Testicular Germ Cell Tumor