Therapeutic approaches for refractory germ cell cancer.

Therapeutic approaches for refractory germ cell cancer. Expert Rev Anticancer Ther. 2018 Mar 08;: Authors: Oing C, Seidel C, Bokemeyer C Abstract INTRODUCTION: Most germ cell cancer patients with metastatic disease are cured by cisplatin-based combination chemotherapy. 30% of metastatic patients will develop relapse or progress despite adequate first-line treatment and will require salvage therapy, with about 10% of metastasized patients ultimately developing platinum-resistant and fatal disease. Areas covered: Based on a comprehensive literature search of MEDLINE, EMBASE and conference proceedings of ESMO, ASCO and EAU meetings, this review provides an overview on current and potential future treatment options for platinum-refractory germ cell cancer patients including cytostatics and molecularly targeted therapies. Expert commentary: Treatment of platinum-refractory disease remains challenging and long-term survival is rarely achieved despite multimodal treatment approaches. Targeted treatment approaches do not yet play a role in the treatment of platinum-refractory disease due to lacking efficacy in small, unselected clinical trials. Inclusion of patients into clinical trials is strongly recommended. PMID: 29516750 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Source: Expert Review of Anticancer Therapy - Category: Cancer & Oncology Tags: Expert Rev Anticancer Ther Source Type: research