Randomized trial of etoposide and cisplatin versus etoposide and carboplatin in patients with good-risk germ cell tumors: a multiinstitutional study.
OBJECTIVE
This multicenter, randomized phase III clinical trial evaluated the efficacy of etoposide plus carboplatin (EC) versus etoposide plus cisplatin (EP) in good-risk germ cell tumor (GCT) patients.


METHODS
Between October 1986 and December 1990, 270 patients with good-risk GCTs were randomized to receive four cycles of either EP or EC. The etoposide dose in all patients was 100 mg/m2 on days 1 through 5. EP patients received cisplatin at 20 mg/m2 on days 1 through 5 and therapy was recycled at 21-day intervals. For EC patients, the carboplatin dose was 500 mg/m2 on day 1 of each cycle and the EC recycling interval was 28 days.


RESULTS
Two hundred sixty-five patients were assessable: 131 patients treated with EC and 134 treated with EP. One hundred fifteen of 131 assessable patients (88%) treated with EC achieved a complete response (CR) versus 121 of 134 patients (90%) treated with EP (P = .32). Sixteen patients (12%) treated with EC relapsed from CR versus four patients (3%) treated with EP. Therefore, 32 patients (24%) who received carboplatin experienced an event (incomplete response [IR] or relapse) compared with 17 of 134 patients (13%) who received cisplatin (P = .02). At a median follow-up of 22.4 months, event-free and relapse-free survival were inferior for patients treated with EC (P = .02 and P = .005, respectively). No difference in overall survival was evident (P = .52).


CONCLUSIONS
Two-drug therapy with EC using this dose and schedule was inferior to therapy with EP. Cisplatin remains as the standard platinum analog in the treatment of patients with good-risk GCTs. Carboplatin should be restricted to investigational trials in GCT.
Bajorin
D F
DF
Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10021.
Sarosdy
M F
MF
Pfister
D G
DG
Mazumdar
M
M
Motzer
R J
RJ
Scher
H I
HI
Geller
N L
NL
Fair
W R
WR
Herr
H
H
Sogani
P
P
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016190:Carboplatin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects; D002945:Cisplatin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects; D005047:Etoposide / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008479:Mediastinal Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy; D008875:Middle Aged; D009373:Neoplasms, Germ Cell and Embryonal / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D012186:Retroperitoneal Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy; D015996:Survival Rate; D013736:Testicular Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy
D005047:Etoposide; D016190:Carboplatin; D002945:Cisplatin