Purpose: To assess the durability of response and overall survival for patients with good-risk metastatic germ cell tumors (GCT) treated with four cycles of etoposide and cisplatin (EP).
Patients and methods: Two hundred fourteen patients treated with EP on two consecutive randomized trials for good-risk metastatic GCT were the subject of this retrospective study. The response to therapy, relapse and survival status, and results of salvage therapy are reported.
Results: One hundred ninety-five patients (91%) achieved a complete response (CR). This included 182 patients (85%) who achieved a CR to chemotherapy alone and 13 patients (6%) who achieved a CR to chemotherapy plus surgical resection of viable GCT. Seventeen patients (9%) have relapsed from CR. The median time to relapse was 10 months, and the longest duration from treatment to relapse was 36 months in a patient who received three of four planned courses of therapy. Eight patients who either achieved an incomplete response (IR) or relapsed were rendered continuously disease-free by salvage therapy and are alive. One hundred eighty-three patients (86%) are alive at a median follow-up of 7.6 years.
Conclusion: Four cycles of EP constitute effective therapy and can be offered to patients with good-risk GCT. In patients with intermediate- and poor-risk GCT, clinical trials remain a priority to identify more effective treatment.