Abstract
Testicular germ cell tumors (TGCTs) are malignancies with very high curative potential even in metastatic settings, mainly due to the introduction of cisplatin in the treatment of this disease. However, in a group of patients with cisplatin-refractory disease or with progressive disease despite high-dose salvage chemotherapy treatment, the prognosis is typically dismal. The triple combination of gemcitabine, oxaliplatin, and paclitaxel (GOP) has reasonable efficacy and is considered to be standard care for this group of patients. It remains to be seen, however, whether refractory TGCTs may represent a potential target for immune checkpoint inhibition. This review will focus on the rationale of the use of immunotherapy for platinum-refractory TGCTs and summarize data reporting experiences with immune checkpoint inhibitor treatment for this malignancy.
Highlights
Testicular germ cell tumors (TGCTs) are considered the most frequent solid malignancy among young men aged 34 years [1]
Despite the existence of numerous new treatment options involving targeted and biological therapies that have been evaluated in cisplatin-refractory TGCTs, conventional chemotherapy options with limited activity continue to be utilized for these patients [7]
According to the abovementioned data, we can conclude that the results of a phase II clinical trial evaluating the efficiency of immune checkpoint inhibitors in germ cell tumors are contradictory with previously published case reports and small series (Table 2)
Summary
Katarina Kalavska 1,2, Silvia Schmidtova 1,2, Michal Chovanec 3 and Michal Mego 1,3*. Testicular germ cell tumors (TGCTs) are malignancies with very high curative potential even in metastatic settings, mainly due to the introduction of cisplatin in the treatment of this disease. In a group of patients with cisplatin-refractory disease or with progressive disease despite high-dose salvage chemotherapy treatment, the prognosis is typically dismal. Has reasonable efficacy and is considered to be standard care for this group of patients. It remains to be seen, whether refractory TGCTs may represent a potential target for immune checkpoint inhibition. This review will focus on the rationale of the use of immunotherapy for platinum-refractory TGCTs and summarize data reporting experiences with immune checkpoint inhibitor treatment for this malignancy
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