title: BOP/VIP--a new platinum-intensive chemotherapy regimen for poor prognosis germ cell tumours.
abstract: Ninety-one patients with poor prognosis non-seminomatous germ cell tumours (NSGCT) were treated with an initial intensive chemotherapy schedule. Suitable patients fulfilled one or more of the following criteria: lymph node metastases greater than 10 cm diameter; liver, brain or bone metastases; serum HCG level greater than 50,000 IU/L; and extragonadal primary tumours. Treatment consisted of 3 cycles of bleomycin, vincristine and cisplatin (BOP) administered at 10 day intervals, followed by 3 cycles of etoposide, ifosfamide and cisplatin (VIP) at 21 day intervals. A total of 64 patients (70%) achieved a complete remission. This comprised 46 patients who received BOP/VIP only, and 18 patients who received additional chemotherapy after BOP/VIP. Of these 64 patients, 51 underwent complete surgical resection of residual masses, including 11 in whom there was evidence of teratoma with cellular atypia or non-germ cell cancer in the resected tissue. A further 9 patients had persisting unresected radiological masses in the presence of marker complete remission. The overall response rate was 80%. Currently 57 patients (63%) remain alive and free from disease progression. The median follow-up period is 90 weeks (range 24-206 weeks), with a 2 yr actuarial progression-free survival of 66% (95% c.i. 55-77%). Major toxicity was myelosuppression, occurring during the VIP arm of therapy, with a median nadir WBC of 1.1 x 10(9)/L and median platelet count of 51 x 10(9)/L. Other toxicity included peripheral neuropathy (WHO Grade 2 and 3 in 22%). We conclude that treatment results with the BOP/VIP schedule in this poor prognosis patient group are at least comparable with other schedules, and toxicity is manageable.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: CRC Dept. of Medical Oncology, University of Glasgow.
authors.forename: C R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Lewis
authors.forename: S D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Fossà
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mead
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: ten Bokkel Huinink
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Harding
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mill
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Paul
authors.forename: W G
authors.initials: WG
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Rodenburg
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Cantwell
mesh_terms: D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001761:Bleomycin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D001859:Bone Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary; D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin / Q000097:blood; D002945:Cisplatin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D003404:Creatinine / Q000097:blood; D004341:Drug Evaluation; D005047:Etoposide / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007069:Ifosfamide / Q000008:administration & dosage; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D009373:Neoplasms, Germ Cell and Embryonal / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality / Q000556:secondary; D012074:Remission Induction; D016019:Survival Analysis; D014750:Vincristine / Q000008:administration & dosage
chemical_list: D006063:Chorionic Gonadotropin; D001761:Bleomycin; D014750:Vincristine; D005047:Etoposide; D003404:Creatinine; D002945:Cisplatin; D007069:Ifosfamide