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Treating stage I nonseminomatous germ cell tumours with a single cycle of chemotherapy
Author(s) -
GILBERT DUNCAN C.,
NORMAN ANDREW R.,
NICHOLL JUDITH,
DEARNALEY DAVID P.,
HORWICH ALAN,
HUDDART ROBERT A.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
bju international
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.773
H-Index - 148
eISSN - 1464-410X
pISSN - 1464-4096
DOI - 10.1111/j.1464-410x.2006.06188.x
Subject(s) - stage (stratigraphy) , chemotherapy , germ cell , oncology , medicine , gynecology , biology , genetics , paleontology , gene
OBJECTIVE To estimate the rate of relapse in men with stage I nonseminomatous germ cell tumours (NSGCT) of the testis treated with one cycle of chemotherapy instead of the usual two cycles. PATIENTS AND METHODS Between 1992 and 1996, 22 men with stage I NSGCT who had normalized tumour markers after orchidectomy and negative findings on computed tomography, and who were at moderate risk of relapse, were treated with one cycle of platinum‐containing chemotherapy (bleomycin and etoposide with either cisplatin or carboplatin). RESULTS At a median follow‐up of 10.2 years, none of the patients have relapsed with malignant GCTs. CONCLUSIONS The results after one cycle of chemotherapy are no worse than after two cycles. The present study needs to be replicated in a larger cohort of patients to define the relapse risk more accurately. This approach is soon to be tested in a large multicentre trial randomizing patients between one and two cycles