Chemotherapie bij teelbalkanker - germ-cell tumors - blijkt effectief, 90% overal overleving na 5 jaar en 90% ziektevrije tijd na 5 jaar, blijkt uit nieuwe gerandomiseerde langjarige studie.

13 november 2008: Bron: JCO Early Release, published online ahead of print Oct 20 2008
Journal of Clinical Oncology, 10.1200/JCO.2007.15.9103

Chemotherapie voor teelbalkanker is uiterst effectief en nieuwe studie bewijst dat bestraling niet langer nodig lijkt. In een gerandomiseerde langjarige studie wordt aangetoond dat chemotherapie voor teelbalkanker 90% overall overleving geeft na 5 jaar en 95% ziektevrije tijd na 5 jaar. Hiermee zouden de nadelen van bestraling van teelbalkanker tot het verleden behoren. Zie abstract hieronder dat deze week naar buiten kwam.

Received December 21, 2007
Accepted July 8, 2008

Chemotherapy As an Alternative to Radiotherapy in the Treatment of Stage IIA and IIB Testicular Seminoma: A Spanish Germ Cell Cancer Group Study

Xavier Garcia-del-Muro,^* Pablo Maroto, Josep Gumà, Javier Sastre, Marta López Brea, José A. Arranz, Nuria Lainez, Diego Soto de Prado, Jorge Aparicio, José M. Piulats, Xavier Pérez, and Josep R. Germá-Lluch

From the Institut Català d'Oncología, Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica de Bellvitge; Hospital de Sant Pau, Barcelona; Hospital Universitari Sant Joan, Reus; Hospital Universitario San Carlos; Hospital Gregorio Marañón, Madrid; Hospital Marqués de Valdecilla, Santander; Hospital de Navarra, Pamplona; Hospital Clínico, Valladolid; and Hospital La Fe, Valencia, Spain.

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: garciadelmuro@iconcologia.net

Purpose: To assess the long-term efficacy and toxicity of front-linecisplatin-based chemotherapy in patients with stage IIA or IIBtesticular seminoma.

Patients and Methods: Untreated patientswith pure seminoma of the testis after orchiectomy, with clinicalstage IIA or IIB, were considered eligible for this prospectiveobservational study. Chemotherapy consisted of either four cyclesof cisplatin and etoposide or three cycles of cisplatin, etoposide,and bleomycin.

Results: Between April 1994 and March 2003, 72patients were entered onto the study at 26 participating centers.Eighteen patients had stage IIA disease, and 54 patients hadstage IIB disease. Eighty-three percent of patients achievedcomplete response, and 17% achieved partial response with residualmass. After a median follow-up time of 71.5 months, six patientswith stage IIB disease experienced relapse, and one of thesepatients died as a result of seminoma. Three patients experiencednon–seminoma-related deaths (two died from a further esophagealcarcinoma, and one died from an upper digestive hemorrhage).The estimated 5-year progression-free survival rates for patientswith stage IIA or IIB disease were 100% and 87% (95% CI, 77.5%to 97%), respectively. Five-year progression-free and overallsurvival rates for the whole group were 90% (95% CI, 82% to98%) and 95% (95% CI, 89% to 100%), respectively. Severe granulocytopeniaand thrombocytopenia were observed in eight and two patients,respectively. Mild to moderate emesis, stomatitis, and diarrheawere the most common nonhematologic effects.

Conclusion: Chemotherapyis a highly effective and well-tolerated treatment for patientswith stage IIA or IIB seminoma and represents an available alternativethat could avoid some of the serious late effects associatedwith radiotherapy. Further studies focusing on long-term toxicitiesof different treatment modalities are needed.

chemo, teelbalkanker