Chemotherapy for patients with poor prognosis germ cell tumors

Abstract

Germ cell tumors (GCTs) are the most common solid malignancy in young adult males. Approximately 28% of metastatic non-seminomatous GCTs have features that confer a poor prognosis, as defined by the International Germ Cell Consensus Classification. Five-year survival rates in poor prognosis GCTs remain about 50%. Despite numerous clinical trials testing a range of approaches, four cycles of bleomycin, etoposide, and cisplatin remain the standard of care for patients with poor-risk disease. Further improvements in the outcomes of patients with poor-risk GCTs might be achieved by incorporating targeted therapies into existing regimens, and by improving our understanding of the mechanism of cisplatin insensitivity.