Efficacy and tolerability of TIP (paclitaxel, ifosfamide and cisplatin) incorporated into induction chemotherapy for patients with intermediate- or poor-risk metastatic germ cell tumors.

The objective of this study was to analyze the clinical outcomes of TIP (paclitaxel, ifosfamide and cisplatin) incorporated into induction chemotherapy for patients with metastatic germ cell tumor (GCT) characterized by unfavorable clinical features. This study included 37 patients, who were categorized into intermediate- or poor-risk GCT according to the International Germ Cell Consensus Classification (IGCCC). All 37 patients received two cycles of bleomycin, etoposide and cisplatin (BEP) followed by several cycles of TIP. Following treatment with TIP, 25 patients achieved the normalization of serum tumor markers. In addition, surgical resection of the residual tumors following TIP was performed in 17 patients who were pathologically diagnosed with no viable cancer cells. At a median follow-up of 36 months, 31 patients were alive, including 27 with no evidence of disease, whereas the remaining six died of disease progression. The 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) rates in these 37 patients were 72.9 and 85.3%, respectively. Despite the lack of a significant predictor of OS, univariate analysis identified the presence of a choriocarcinoma element and IGCCC as significant predictors of DFS, of which only the presence of a choriocarcinoma element appeared to be independently associated with DFS. In this series, treatment-related death did not occur, although 27 patients had at least one adverse event corresponding to grade 3 ≤. Collectively, it would be of worth to pursue the significance of the early incorporation of TIP into induction chemotherapy for patients with intermediate- or poor-risk metastatic GCT in the future.