Treatment of disseminated non-seminomatous testicular cancer: The Europeanexperience

The majority of patients with disseminated germ cell cancer can be cured wi th cisplatin-based combination chemotherapy. For more than a decade the gol d standard regimen is cisplatin, etoposide, and bleomycin (BEP). On both si des of the Atlantic, a number of studies have been carried out to either mo dify the toxicity of therapy in good prognosis patients or to improve the t reatment outcome by intensifying the regimen or incorporating new agents in patients with intermediate or poor prognosis disease. This review discusse s the trials that have been conducted in Europe, mainly through the Europea n Organization of Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) and Medical Rese arch Council (MRC) in the United Kingdom, as well as the studies that are c urrently being conducted by the collaborative groups in Europe. Semin, Surg , Oncol, 17:250-256, 1999, (C) 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.