Fertility and prognosis assessment between bleomycin/etoposide/cisplatin and paclitaxel/carboplatin chemotherapy regimens in the conservative treatment of malignant ovarian germ cell tumors: a multicenter and retrospective study

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the impact of bleomycin/etoposide/cisplatin (BEP) and paclitaxel/carboplatin (PC) chemotherapy regimens on the fertility and prognostic outcomes in malignant ovarian germ cell tumor (MOGCT) patients who underwent fertility-sparing surgery (FSS).

METHODS

A propensity score matching algorithm was performed between the BEP and PC groups. The χ² test and the Kaplan-Meier method were used to compare the fertility outcome, disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS). The Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was used to identify risk factor of DFS.

RESULTS

We included 213 patients, 185 (86.9%) underwent BEP chemotherapy, and 28 (13.1%) underwent PC chemotherapy. The median age was 22 years (range, 8-44 years), and the median follow-up period was 63 months (range, 2-191 months). Fifty-one (29.3%) patients had a pregnancy plan, and 35 (85.4%) delivered successfully. In the before and after propensity score matching cohorts, there were no significant differences in spontaneous abortion, selective termination of pregnancy, during-pregnancy status, and live birth between the BEP and PC groups (p>0.05). Fourteen (6.6%) patients experienced recurrence, including 11 (5.9%) in the BEP group and 3 (10.7%) in the PC group. Four (1.9%) patients in the BEP group died. Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed no significant differences in DFS (p=0.328) and OS (p=0.446) between the BEP and PC groups, and the same survival results were observed in the after matching cohort.

CONCLUSION

The PC regimen is as safe as the BEP regimen for MOGCT patients with fertility preservation treatment, and no differences were observed in fertility and clinical prognosis.

Need for risk-adapted therapy for malignant ovarian germ cell tumors: A large multicenter analysis of germ cell tumors' patients from French TMRG network

BACKGROUND

Malignant ovarian germ cell tumors are rare tumors, affecting young women with a generally favorable prognosis. The French reference network for Rare Malignant Gynecological Tumors (TMRG) aims to improve their management. The purpose of this study is to report clinicopathological features and long-term outcomes, to explore prognostic parameters and to help in considering adjuvant strategy for stage I patients.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Data from patients with MOGCT registered among 13 of the largest centers of the TMRG network were analyzed. We report clinicopathological features, estimated 5-year event-free survival (5y-EFS) and 5-year overall survival (5y-OS) of MOGCT patients.

RESULTS

We collected data from 147 patients including 101 (68.7%) FIGO stage I patients. Histology identifies 40 dysgerminomas, 52 immature teratomas, 32 yolk sac tumors, 2 choriocarcinomas and 21 mixed tumors. Surgery was performed in 140 (95.2%) patients and 106 (72.1%) received first line chemotherapy. Twenty-two stage I patients did not receive chemotherapy. Relapse occurred in 24 patients: 13 were exclusively treated with upfront surgery and 11 received surgery and chemotherapy. 5y-EFS was 82% and 5y-OS was 92.4%. Stage I patients who underwent surgery alone had an estimated 5y-EFS of 54.6% and patients receiving adjuvant chemotherapy 94.4% (P < .001). However, no impact on estimated 5y-OS was observed: 96.3% versus 97.8% respectively (P = .62). FIGO stage, complete primary surgery and post-operative alpha fetoprotein level significantly correlated with survival.

CONCLUSION

Adjuvant chemotherapy does not seem to improve survival in stage I patients. Active surveillance can be proposed for selected patients with a complete surgical staging.

Malignant ovarian germ cell tumors in pediatric patients: The AIEOP (Associazione Italiana Ematologia Oncologia Pediatrica) study

OBJECTIVE

Malignant ovarian germ cell tumors (MOGCT) carry an excellent prognosis, and the treatment aims to achieve results with the least possible treatment-related morbidity. The aim of this study was to assess the outcomes of pediatric patients with MOGCT.

METHODS

Patients were treated according to their stage: surgery and surveillance for stage I; a modified bleomycin-etoposide-cisplatin (BEP) regimen for stages II (three cycles), III, and IV (three cycles) with surgery on residual disease.

RESULTS

Seventy-seven patients were enrolled (median age 11.8 years), 26 with dysgerminoma (Dysg), 13 with immature teratoma and elevated serum alpha-fetoprotein levels (IT + AFP), and 38 with nondysgeminoma (Non-Dysg) staged as follows: 27 stage I, 13 stage II, 32 stage III, 5 stage IV. Among evaluable patients in stage I (5-year event-free survival [EFS] 72.1% [95% CI: 56.4-92.1%]; 5-year overall survival [OS] 100%), seven relapsed (three patients with Dysg and four patients with Non-Dysg) and were rescued with chemotherapy (plus surgery in three patients). Among the evaluable patients with stages II-IV, 48 (98%) achieved complete remission after chemotherapy ± surgery, one (IT + AFP, stage IV) had progressive disease. In the whole series (median follow-up 80 months), the 5-year OS and EFS were 98.5% (95% CI: 95.6-100%) and 84.5% (95% CI: 76.5-93.5%).

CONCLUSIONS

We confirm the excellent outcome for MOGCT. Robust data are lacking on surgical staging, surveillance for Non-Dysg with stage I, the management of IT + AFP, and the most appropriate BEP regimen. As pediatric oncologists, we support the role of surveillance after proper surgical staging providing cases are managed by experts at specialized pediatric centers.