Combined chemotherapy and radiation therapy for central nervous system germ cell tumors: preliminary results of a Phase II study of the Japanese Pediatric Brain Tumor Study Group.

The authors conducted a multiinstitutional phase II study to establish a postsurgical combined chemotherapy and radiation therapy regimen for patients with primary germ cell tumors of the brain. After surgical debulking of the tumor and histological verification, patients were divided into three therapeutic groups: good prognosis, intermediate prognosis, and poor prognosis. Patients received two kinds of chemotherapy (three courses) prior to receiving radiation therapy: carboplatin-etoposide combination ([CARB-VP]: carboplatin 450 mg/m(2) on Day 1, etoposide 150 mg/m(2) on Days 1-3) or ifosphamide-cisplatin-etoposide combination ([ICE]: ifosphamide 900 mg/m(2), cisplatin 20 mg/m(2), and etoposide 60 mg/m(2) on Days 1-5). Patients in the good prognosis group (those with germinomas) were treated with CARB-VP followed by local radiation therapy (24 Gy). Patients in the intermediate prognosis group received CARB-VP followed by local radiation therapy (50 Gy); they received five additional chemotherapy treatments. Patients in the poor prognosis group received ICE followed by whole craniospinal radiation therapy; they also received five additional chemotherapy treatments. Eighty-two patients were evaluated. For the 56 patients with germinomas, a 93% rate of complete remission after treatment was achieved. The remission rate was 76% for 21 patients in the intermediate prognosis group, and no recurrence was detected during a median follow-up period of 2.6 years. In the group of five patients with poor prognosis, the disease in three patients progressed during chemotherapy or radiation therapy and they died within 6 months. There were no serious complications in the surviving patients. The authors found their treatment protocols to be currently effective for patients with germinomas and those with an intermediate prognosis.