Neoadjuvant BEP regimen in the treatment of extensively advanced yolk sac tumor: A single institutional experience.

Abstract

5570 Background: Due to the highly aggressive biological behavior and early intra-abdominal spread potential of ovarian yolk sac tumor (YST), a considerable proportion of patients were inoperalbe at initial diagnosis. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) in this cohort of patients. Methods: Between July 1982 and December 2015, 58 patients diagnosed as YSTs were initially treated at Cancer Hospital of China Academy of Medical Science (CAMS), among which 18 were evaluated to be inoperable and received NACT. They were either too debilitated by the disease (ECOG ps≥2) to undergo a major surgery, or were with too extensively disseminated lesions to be optimally debulked. Massive ascites, pleural effusion, dyspnea, neoplastic fever, hypoproteinemia, or electrolyte disturbance were also common in these 18 patients. This cohort of patients was retrospectively reviewed. Results: One or 2 cycles of BEP regimens were prescribed to the majority of patients preoperatively. At the completion of NACT, all the 18 patients had ECOG ps≤1 . Seventeen of them (94.4%) exhibited clinical partial tumor regression and 1(5.6%) had clinical stable disease. Pathological complete tumor regression was observed in 2 (11.1%) patients, whereas the remaining 16(88.9%) had nearly complete pathological response. All these 18 patients were rendered operable at the completion of NACT, yielding a resection rate of 100%. Seventeen patients (94.4%) were cytoreduced to no macroscopic residual disease, 1 (5.6%) patient was cyto-reduced to macroscopic residual disease ≤2 cm. No major surgical complications occurred in our series. After a median follow-up of 83.5 months, 17 patients were free of recurrence. Five-year DFS and OS were both 94.4%. Fertility-sparing surgery was carried out in all the 17 patients with fertility desire, and 5 infants were delivered in 6 patients who attempted conception. Conclusions: One or 2 cycles of NACT followed by early cyto-reductive surgery offers a chance for cure in patients with extensively advanced YSTs. It allows for a more through and safe cyto-reductive surgery, improves survival outcomes, and helps pave the way for fertility-sparing surgery.