High dose chemotherapy including paclitaxel (T-ICE) combined with peripheral blood stem cell transplantation for male germ cell tumor. Preliminary report.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the feasibility and usefulness of high dose chemotherapy including paclitaxel (T-ICE) combined with peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (PBSCT) for male germ cell tumor.


METHODS
Five male patients with advanced germ cell tumor underwent 1-6 courses of high dose chemotherapy including paclitaxel (T-ICE; 175 mg/m2 of paclitaxel, 1250 mg/m2 of carboplatin, 1500 mg/m2 of etoposide and 7.5 g/m2 of ifosfamide) with PBSCT after 2-3 courses of induction chemotherapy (PEB or VIP).


RESULTS
In all patients, serum marker levels decreased to within the normal range by T-ICE. Two patients underwent resection of residual tumor. In one patient, viable cancer cells were detected in resected lymph node tissue and adjuvant chemotherapy was then performed. Although the follow-up period was short (7-15.5 months), four of the five patients (80%) showed no evidence of recurrent disease. No significant differences in side-effects were noted between T-ICE and conventional high dose ICE, which was previously performed in 39 patients at the Division of Urology, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Japan.


CONCLUSIONS
High dose chemotherapy, including T-ICE, combined with PBSCT showed an almost identical degree of side-effects as seen in previous high dose chemotherapy without paclitaxel. Although 80% of the patients showed no evidence of disease so far, the efficacy of T-ICE should be evaluated with more patients and longer follow up.
Hara
Isao
I
Division of Urology, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, Japan. hara@med.kobe-u.ac.jp
Yamada
Yuji
Y
Kumano
Masafumi
M
Furukawa
Junya
J
Yamanaka
Kazuki
K
Fujisawa
Masato
M
D000328:Adult; D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009373:Neoplasms, Germ Cell and Embryonal / Q000628:therapy*; D017239:Paclitaxel / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D036102:Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplantation; D013736:Testicular Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy*
D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; D017239:Paclitaxel