A Novel Single Arm Phase II Study for Relapsed Germ Cell Tumours With Poor Prognosis

Summary

The treatment of germ cell tumours is considered to be one of the major successes in the area of cytotoxic chemotherapy. Even in patients who relapse after first line therapy, a durable remission rate of between 25% and 60% has been seen using further chemotherapy. In 1999, researchers at St Bartholomew's Hospital developed the GAMEC protocol (combination chemotherapy with filgrastim, actinomycin D, methotrexate, etoposide, cisplatin). Results from this study showed that 50% of patients with relapsed testicular cancer could be cured using this treatment. When we reviewed the individual patients it was clear that older patients (\>35yrs) or patients with a raised Lactate Dehydrogenase (a blood test that monitors cancer activity), did not do as well. In addition, patients whose original tumour started in their chest (mediastinal germ cell tumour) have tended to do badly if they relapse. We have been developing a study for patients who fulfil at least one of these criteria. The GAMIO study (filgrastim, actinomycin D, methotrexate, irinotecan, oxaliplatin) has recently closed due to problems with high levels of toxicity from the irinotecan. GAMMA is a new study that will use paclitaxel instead of irinotecan and oxaliplatin instead of cisplatin. We expect that this treatment with oxaliplatin will be less damaging to the kidneys than cisplatin. Both oxaliplatin and paclitaxel and oxaliplatin and irinotecan have similar activity in relapsed patients in the phase II setting. We hope to improve on our previous results with this substitution and see if this will lead to an improvement in the cure rate of relapsed germ cell tumours with poor prognosis and reduce the side effects compared to our standard treatment. In addition, we do not expect any hearing damage and the treatment requires a shorter hospital stay.

Timeline

Start

2012-05-01

Primary completion

2021-05-05

Completion

2021-05-05

Publications

• Background Bedano PM, Brames MJ, Williams SD, Juliar BE, Einhorn LH. Phase II study of cisplatin plus epirubicin salvage chemotherapy in refractory germ cell tumors. J Clin Oncol. 2006 Dec 1;24(34):5403-7. doi: 10.1200/JCO.2006.05.8065.
• Background Haba Y, Williams MV, Neal DE, Ong JY, Ostrowski MJ, Ell PJ, Nargund V, Shamash J, Oliver RT. Stage migration and pilot studies of reduced chemotherapy supported by positron-emission tomography findings suggest new combined strategies for stage 2 nonseminoma germ cell tumour. BJU Int. 2008 Mar;101(5):570-4. doi: 10.1111/j.1464-410X.2007.07387.x.
• Background Pectasides D, Pectasides M, Farmakis D, Aravantinos G, Nikolaou M, Koumpou M, Gaglia A, Kostopoulou V, Mylonakis N, Economopoulos T, Raptis SA. Oxaliplatin and irinotecan plus granulocyte-colony stimulating factor as third-line treatment in relapsed or cisplatin-refractory germ-cell tumor patients: a phase II study. Eur Urol. 2004 Aug;46(2):216-21. doi: 10.1016/j.eururo.2004.03.001.
• Background Shamash J, Powles T, Ansell W, Berney D, Stebbing J, Mutsvangwa K, Wilson P, Asterling S, Liu S, Wyatt P, Joel SP, Oliver RT. GAMEC--a new intensive protocol for untreated poor prognosis and relapsed or refractory germ cell tumours. Br J Cancer. 2007 Aug 6;97(3):308-14. doi: 10.1038/sj.bjc.6603865. Epub 2007 Jul 3.
• Background Shamash J, Powles T, Mutsvangwa K, Wilson P, Ansell W, Walsh E, Berney D, Stebbing J, Oliver T. A phase II study using a topoisomerase I-based approach in patients with multiply relapsed germ-cell tumours. Ann Oncol. 2007 May;18(5):925-30. doi: 10.1093/annonc/mdm002. Epub 2007 Mar 12.
• Background Theodore C, Chevreau C, Yataqhene Y, Fizazi K, Delord JP, Lotz JP, Geoffrois L, Kerbrat P, Bui V, Flechon A. A phase II multicenter study of oxaliplatin in combination with paclitaxel in poor prognosis patients who failed cisplatin-based chemotherapy for germ-cell tumors. Ann Oncol. 2008 Aug;19(8):1465-1469. doi: 10.1093/annonc/mdn122. Epub 2008 Apr 2.
• Background Simon R. Optimal two-stage designs for phase II clinical trials. Control Clin Trials. 1989 Mar;10(1):1-10. doi: 10.1016/0197-2456(89)90015-9.
• Background Gerlinger M, Wilson P, Powles T, Shamash J. Elevated LDH predicts poor outcome of recurrent germ cell tumours treated with dose dense chemotherapy. Eur J Cancer. 2010 Nov;46(16):2913-8. doi: 10.1016/j.ejca.2010.07.004. Epub 2010 Aug 13.
• Background International Prognostic Factors Study Group; Lorch A, Beyer J, Bascoul-Mollevi C, Kramar A, Einhorn LH, Necchi A, Massard C, De Giorgi U, Flechon A, Margolin KA, Lotz JP, Germa Lluch JR, Powles T, Kollmannsberger CK. Prognostic factors in patients with metastatic germ cell tumors who experienced treatment failure with cisplatin-based first-line chemotherapy. J Clin Oncol. 2010 Nov 20;28(33):4906-11. doi: 10.1200/JCO.2009.26.8128. Epub 2010 Oct 18.

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