HIGH DOSE CHEMOTHERAPY FOR TESTICULAR CANCER

J Clin Oncol. 2010 Mar 1. [Epub ahead of print]

TI-CE High-Dose Chemotherapy for Patients With Previously Treated Germ Cell Tumors: Results and Prognostic Factor Analysis.

Feldman DR, Sheinfeld J, Bajorin DF, Fischer P, Turkula S,0Ishill N, Patil S, Bains M, Reich LM, Bosl GJ, Motzer RJ.

Genitourinary Oncology Service, Division of Solid Tumor Oncology, and the Hematology Service, Department of Medicine; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics; Urology Service and Thoracic Surgery Service, Department of Surgery, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center; and the Departments of Medicine and Surgery, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY.

PURPOSE: We previously reported a dose-finding and phase II trial of the TI-CE regimen (paclitaxel [T] plus ifosfamide [I] followed by high-dose carboplatin [C] plus etoposide [E] with stem-cell support) in germ cell tumor (GCT) patients predicted to have a poor prognosis with conventional-dose salvage therapy. We now report the efficacy of TI-CE with prognostic factors for disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) in our full data set of 107 patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Eligible patients had advanced GCTs with progressive disease following chemotherapy and unfavorable prognostic features (extragonadal primary site, incomplete response [IR] to first-line therapy, or relapse/IR to ifosfamide-cisplatin-based conventional-dose salvage). Univariate and multivariate analyses (MVAs) of prognostic factors were performed. The predictive ability of the Einhorn and Beyer prognostic models was assessed. RESULTS: Most patients were platinum refractory and had an IR to first-line chemotherapy. There were 54 (50%) complete and eight (8%) partial responses with negative markers; 5-year DFS was 47% and OS was 52% (median follow-up, 61 months). No relapses occurred after 2 years. Five (24%) of 21 primary mediastinal nonseminomatous GCTs are continuously disease free. On MVA, primary mediastinal site (P < .001), two or more lines of prior therapy (P < .001), baseline human chorionic gonadotropin >/= 1,000 U/L (P = .01), and lung metastases (P = .02) significantly predicted adverse DFS. Poor-risk patients did worse than good- or intermediate-risk patients according to both Beyer (P < .002) and Einhorn (P < .05) models. CONCLUSION: TI-CE is effective salvage therapy for GCT patients with poor prognostic features. Mediastinal primary site and two or more lines of prior therapy were most predictive of adverse DFS. Beyer and Einhorn models can assist in predicting outcome.