title: Sequential combination chemotherapy for malignant germ cell tumors of the ovary.
abstract: Fourteen patients with malignant ovarian germ cell tumors were treated postoperatively with a short-term, sequential regimen combining cisplatin, vincristine, methotrexate, bleomycin, dactinomycin, cyclophosphamide, etoposide, Adriamycin (Adria Laboratories, Columbus, OH), and vinblastine (POMB/ACE/PAV). Two patients had Stage I disease, Five had Stage II, five had Stage III, and two had Stage IV. The histologic diagnosis was immature teratoma in five cases (two cases were Grade 2 and three cases were Grade 3) endodermal sinus tumor in two cases, dysgerminoma in three cases, and mixed germ cell tumors in four cases. The chemotherapy regimen appeared to be highly effective against all histologic types, including advanced stages, with 12 of 14 (86%) overall sustained remissions. The median duration of treatment was 5 months. The toxicity of the regimen, which contained low total doses of cisplatin and bleomycin, was only moderate. After a median follow-up of 53+ months, 13 patients were alive without evidence of disease. The results and toxicity obtained were compared with those from other currently used regimens. Also, some comments on initial surgery and second-look surgery are given.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Hospital de la Santa Cruz y San Pablo, Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Germá
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Piera
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Barnadas
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Badia
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002648:Child; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009373:Neoplasms, Germ Cell and Embryonal / Q000188:drug therapy*; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D011379:Prognosis; D012086:Reoperation