Cis-Diamminedichloroplatinum, Vinblastine, and Bleomycin Combination Chemotherapy in Disseminated Testicular Cancer

This chapter reviews a pivotal, single-armed observational study of consecutive patients with metastatic testicular germ cell tumor treated with a combination of bleomycin, vinblastine, and cisplatin. This study established that cisplatin-based combination chemotherapy resulted in a much better prognosis in patients with metastatic testicular cancer than historically observed with any other treatment and also resulted in high response rates.

Treatment of Disseminated Germ Cell Tumors With Cisplatin, Bleomycin, and Either Vinblastine or Etoposide

This chapter reviews a landmark trial that randomized patients with disseminated testicular cancer to treatment with cisplatin, etoposide, and bleomycin (BEP) versus treatment with cisplatin, vinblastine, and bleomycin (PVB). This study demonstrated BEP to be superior to PVB in terms of adverse effects in this trial, with at least equivalent efficacy if not superiority in the setting of advanced disease. This study established BEP as the standard induction chemotherapy regimen used for the majority of patients with metastatic testicular cancer.