Randomized Trial of Bleomycin, Etoposide, and Cisplatin Compared With Bleomycin, Etoposide, and Carboplatin in Good-Prognosis Metastatic Nonseminomatous Germ Cell Cancer: A Multiinstitutional Medical Research Council/European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Trial

PURPOSE This prospective randomized multicenter trial was designed to evaluate the efficacy of carboplatin plus etoposide and bleomycin (CEB) versus cisplatin plus etoposide and bleomycin (BEP) in first-line chemotherapy of patients with good-risk nonseminomatous germ cell tumors. PATIENTS AND METHODS Between September 1989 and May 1993, a total of 598 patients with good-risk nonseminomatous germ cell tumors were randomized to receive four cycles of either BEP or CEB. In each cycle, the etoposide dose was 120 mg/m2 on days 1, 2, and 3, and the bleomycin dose was 30 U on day 2. BEP patients received cisplatin at 20 mg/m2/d on days 1 to 5 or 50 mg/m2 on days 1 and 2. For CEB patients, the carboplatin dose was calculated from the glomerular filtration rate to achieve a serum concentration x time of 5 mg/mL x minutes. Chemotherapy was recycled at 21-day intervals to a total of four cycles. RESULTS Of patients assessable for response, 253 of 268 (94.4%) of those allocated to receive BEP achieved a complete response, compared with 227 of 260 (87.3%) allocated to receive CEB (P = .009). There were 30 treatment failures in the 300 patients allocated to BEP and 79 in the 298 allocated to CEB (log-rank chi 2 = 26.9; P < .001), which led to failure-free rates at 1 year of 91% (95% confidence interval [CI], 88% to 94%) and 77% (95% CI, 72% to 82%), respectively. There were 10 deaths in patients allocated to BEP and 27 in patients allocated to CEB (log-rank chi 2 = 8.77; P = .003), which led to 3-year survival rates of 97% (95% CI, 95% to 99%) and 90% (95% CI, 86% to 94%), respectively. CONCLUSION With these drug doses and schedules, combination chemotherapy based on carboplatin was inferior to that based on cisplatin. This BEP regimen that contains moderate doses of etoposide and bleomycin is effective in the treatment of patients with good-prognosis metastatic nonseminoma.

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Intensive induction-sequential chemotherapy with BOP/VIP-B compared with treatment with BEP/EP for poor-prognosis metastatic nonseminomatous germ cell tumor: a Randomized Medical Research Council/European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer study.

Journal of Clinical Oncology ◽

10.1200/jco.1998.16.2.692 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 16 (2) ◽

pp. 692-701 ◽

Cited By ~ 139

Author(s):

S B Kaye ◽

G M Mead ◽

S Fossa ◽

M Cullen ◽

R deWit ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Germ Cell ◽

Medical Research ◽

Poor Prognosis ◽

Research Council ◽

Medical Research Council ◽

Lung Metastases ◽

Germ Cell Tumors ◽

Sequential Chemotherapy ◽

European Organization ◽

Significant Difference

PURPOSE The aim of this randomized trial was to assess the potential therapeutic advantage of an intensive induction-sequential chemotherapy schedule (bleomycin, vincristine, cisplatin [BOP])/etoposide, ifosfamide, cisplatin, and bleomycin [VIP-B]), compared with a regimen based on bleomycin, etoposide, and cisplatin (BEP) (BEP/etoposide and cisplatin [EP]) for the treatment of patients with poor-prognosis metastatic nonseminomatous germ cell tumors (NSGCTs). PATIENTS AND METHODS Patients had one or more of the following: a retroperitoneal mass > or = 10 cm in diameter; mediastinal or supraclavicular mass > or = 5 cm in diameter; at least 20 lung metastases (any size); liver, bone, or brain metastases; and serum beta human chorionic gonadotropin (betaHCG) > or = 10,000 IU/L or alfa fetoprotein (AFP) > or = 1,000 IU/L. A total of 380 patients were accrued between May 1990 and June 1994 into this joint Medical Research Council (MRC)/European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) trial; of these, nine patients were deemed ineligible. RESULTS There was no significant difference between the two arms in the proportion of patients who achieved a complete response (CR) with chemotherapy alone, ie, 79 of 185 assessable patients (57%) with BEP/EP and 72 of 186 (54%) with BOP/VIP-B (P = 0.687). With a median follow-up of 3.1 years (maximum, 5.8), a total of 107 patients (28%) had progressive disease. There was no significant difference in time to first disease progression, or failure-free or overall survival between the two arms (P = 0.21, 0.101, and 0.190, respectively). The 1-year failure-free survival rates for BEP/EP and BOP/VIP-B were 60% (95% confidence interval [CI], 53% to 67%) and 53% (95% CI, 47% to 61%). Grade 3 or 4 myelosuppression, febrile neutropenia, and weight loss were more pronounced with BOP/VIP-B than with BEP/EP, and there were more toxic deaths with BOP/VIP-B than BEP/EP (18 [9%] v nine [5%]). CONCLUSION The intensive BOP/VIP-B therapy was associated with more toxicity, but there was no evidence of an improvement in response rate or survival compared with treatment with BEP/EP.

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Equivalence of Three or Four Cycles of Bleomycin, Etoposide, and Cisplatin Chemotherapy and of a 3- or 5-Day Schedule in Good-Prognosis Germ Cell Cancer: A Randomized Study of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Genitourinary Tract Cancer Cooperative Group and the Medical Research Council

Journal of Clinical Oncology ◽

10.1200/jco.2001.19.6.1629 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 19 (6) ◽

pp. 1629-1640 ◽

Cited By ~ 243

Author(s):

Ronald de Wit ◽

J. Trevor Roberts ◽

Peter M. Wilkinson ◽

Pieter H.M. de Mulder ◽

Graham M. Mead ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Germ Cell ◽

Randomized Study ◽

Cell Cancer ◽

Good Prognosis ◽

Germ Cell Cancer ◽

Upper And Lower Bounds ◽

Disease Extent ◽

European Organization

PURPOSE: To test the equivalence of three versus four cycles of bleomycin, etoposide, and cisplatin (BEP) and of the 5-day schedule versus 3 days per cycle in good-prognosis germ cell cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The study was designed as a 2 × 2 factorial trial. The aim was to rule out a 5% decrease in the 2-year progression-free survival (PFS) rate. The study included the assessment of patient quality of life. A cycle of BEP consisted of etoposide 500 mg/m2, administered at either 100 mg/m2 days 1 through 5 or 165 mg/m2 days 1 through 3, cisplatin 100 mg/m2, administered at either 20 mg/m2 days 1 through 5 or 50 mg/m2 days 1 and 2. Bleomycin 30 mg was administered on days 1, 8, and 15 during cycles 1 through 3. The randomization procedure allowed some investigators to participate only in the comparison of three versus four cycles. RESULTS: From March 1995 until April 1998, 812 patients were randomly assigned to receive three or four cycles: of these, 681 were also randomly assigned to the 5-day or the 3-day schedule. Histology, marker values, and disease extent are well balanced in the treatment arms of the two comparisons. The projected 2-year PFS is 90.4% on three cycles and 89.4% on four cycles. The difference in PFS between three and four cycles is −1.0% (80% confidence limit [CL], −3.8%, +1.8%). Equivalence for three versus four cycles is claimed because both the upper and lower bounds of the 80% CL are less than 5%. In the 5- versus 3-day comparison, the projected 2-year PFS is 88.8% and 89.7%, respectively (difference, −0.9%, (80% CL, −4.1%, +2.2%). Hence, equivalence is claimed in this comparison also. Frequencies of hematologic and nonhematologic toxicities were essentially similar. Quality of life was maintained better in patients receiving three cycles; no differences were detected between 3 and 5 days of treatment. CONCLUSION: We conclude that three cycles of BEP, with etoposide at 500 mg/m2, is sufficient therapy in good-prognosis germ cell cancer and that the administration of the chemotherapy in 3 days has no detrimental effect on the effectiveness of the BEP regimen.

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