[High-dosage chemotherapy in primary metastasized and relapsed Ewing's sarcoma. (EI)CESS].
BACKGROUND
Patients (pts) with primary metastatic Ewing tumours (ET) have a poor prognosis for event free survival (EFS) compared to pts with localised disease. Following relapse the prognosis is extremely poor. Therefore these primary metastatic and relapsed pts were piloted for high dose therapy (HDT) for the last years.


METHODS
Between April 1984 and May 1997, 131 ET pts who underwent HDT were registered in the German CESS/EICESS office: 79 pts with primary metastases and 52 pts with relapsed tumours. After induction therapy, consisting of chemotherapy and local therapy, pts received high dose regimens, mainly based on melphalan and/or etoposide (92%). Stem cell rescue was applied from allogeneic bone marrow (n = 13), autologous bone marrow (n = 17), or peripheral blood stem cells (n = 95). The date of analysis was September 1st, 1998. Outcome was calculated by Kaplan-Meier-analyses.


RESULTS
The median time under study since high dose therapy was 3.7 years. 35/131 pts (26.7%) were in continuous complete remission, 80/131 pts (61.1%) had relapsed or progressed, 11/131 pts (8.4%) died of complications and 5/131 pts (3.8%) presented with secondary malignancies. For the total group of primary metastatic pts, EFS five years after diagnosis was 19% for pts with HDT and 27% for those without (p = 0.9209). The subgroup of pts with primary lung and bone metastases seemed to benefit from HDT (EFS five years after diagnosis: 34% versus 5%, p = 0.0001). Outcome of pts with an early ET relapse (< 2 years) was also improved by HDT (EFS four years after relapse: 17% versus 2%, p = 0.0001).


CONCLUSIONS
The total group of primary metastatic ET pts showed no obvious benefit from HDT, based on melphalan and/or etoposide. Pts with metastases to multiple organ systems, and early relapse seemed to benefit from HDT. The value of HDT should be assessed in prospective clinical trials.
Fröhlich
B
B
Klinik für Pädiatrische Hämatologie und Onkologie, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität, Münster. eicess@uni-muenster.de
Ahrens
S
S
Burdach
S
S
Klingebiel
T
T
Ladenstein
R
R
Paulussen
M
M
Zoubek
A
A
Jürgens
H
H
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D018906:Antineoplastic Agents, Alkylating / Q000008:administration & dosage; D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / Q000008:administration & dosage; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016026:Bone Marrow Transplantation; D001859:Bone Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D002648:Child; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D005047:Etoposide / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D018380:Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008558:Melphalan / Q000008:administration & dosage; D012512:Sarcoma, Ewing / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000556:secondary / Q000628:therapy; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D018906:Antineoplastic Agents, Alkylating; D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; D005047:Etoposide; D008558:Melphalan