Etoposide, Cisplatin, Bleomycin, And Cyclophosphamide (Ecbc) As First-Line Chemotherapy for Poor-Risk Non-Seminomatous Germ Cell Tumors

Abstract

Sixty-one patients with advanced metastatic non-seminomatous germ cell tumors were treated with etoposide 120 mg/m², cisplatin 30 mg/m², bleomycin 12 mg/m², and cyclophosphamide 300 mg/m² daily for four days; and additional bleomycin bolus injection of 15 mg was given on day 1. Fifty patients (82%) were treated with four to six courses at 3-week intervals. Forty patients (66%) attained complete remission, and further 7 patients (11%) achieved a marker-negative partial remission accounting for a favorable response rate of 77%). Hematologic toxicity was considerable and there were two treatment-related deaths. After a median observation time of 47 months (range 12 to 108 months), 43 patients were alive, of which 38 had continuous complete remission, one a second complete remission, two marker-negative stable disease and two progressive disease. Our results are similar to those reported by other investigators for poor-risk metastatic non-seminomatous germ cell tumors treated with dose-intensified regimens.