title: Treatment of poor prognosis nonseminomatous testicular cancer with a "high-dose" platinum combination chemotherapy regimen.
abstract: A new intensive four drug combination chemotherapy regimen, termed PVeBV, consisting of cis-platinum, vinblastine, bleomycin, and VP-16, was administered to six previously untreated patients with poor prognosis advanced nonseminomatous testicular cancer and to four patients who had relapsed on primary platinum based regimens. The cis-platinum was administered in 250 ml of 3% saline at twice the dose (40 mg/m2 IV days 1-5 every three weeks) used in other treatment schedules. All six previously untreated patients achieved a complete remission. Four achieved a complete remission with three cycles of PVeBV while the other two patients achieved a complete remission with an additional cycle of cisplatinum and VP-16 at 200 mg/m2 IV X five followed by autologous bone marrow infusion. All four relapsed patients responded to PVeBV (two complete remissions and two partial remissions). There were no deaths associated with PVeBV therapy; however, myelosuppression was severe. There has been no renal toxicity (other than hypomagnesemia) observed with 35 cycles of high-dose platinum therapy in previously untreated patients. These results indicate that PVeBV is a promising chemotherapy regimen for the treatment of poor prognosis testicular cancer patients. Furthermore, it appears that cis-platinum can be administered at higher doses than previously used without an increase in renal toxicity if administered in hypertonic saline. The high-dose cis-platinum schedule, as used in PVeBV, warrants evaluation in other tumors which respond to standard-dose platinum therapy.
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols; D001761:Bleomycin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects; D016026:Bone Marrow Transplantation; D002945:Cisplatin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects; D005047:Etoposide / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011379:Prognosis; D013724:Teratoma / Q000188:drug therapy*; D013736:Testicular Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D014747:Vinblastine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D001761:Bleomycin; D014747:Vinblastine; D005047:Etoposide; D002945:Cisplatin