Chemotherapy of ovarian germ cell tumors and sex cord stromal tumors. 1994

D M Gershenson
Department of Gynecologic Oncology, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston.

Malignant ovarian germ cell tumors (OGCT) and sex cord stromal tumors (SCST) are much less common than epithelial ovarian cancer, each accounting for less than 5% of all ovarian malignancies. The combination of vincristine, dactinomycin, and cyclophosphamide (VAC) became the standard chemotherapy for patients with OGCT in the 1970s; it produced excellent sustained remission rates in patients with stage I disease but less than 50% sustained remission rates in those with metastatic tumor. With the introduction of cisplatin for the treatment of testicular cancer in the late 1970s, platinum-based regimens replaced the VAC regimen by the mid-1980s. Currently, the most popular regimen for all patients with OGCT is the combination of bleomycin, etoposide, and cisplatin (BEP). The BEP regimen appears to be superior to VAC, with sustained remission rates of more than 75% in patients with metastatic tumor. For patients with metastatic pure dysgerminoma, chemotherapy appears to have supplanted radiotherapy as standard treatment with the advantage of preserving fertility in most patients. For patients with SCST, no standard therapy exists. Surgery alone is currently acceptable treatment for all patients with SCST except those with metastatic disease, sarcomas, or Sertoli-Leydig cell tumors with poor differentiation or heterologous elements. Currently, platinum-based combination chemotherapy is favored for these latter patients but activity with such regimens is only modest.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D010051 Ovarian Neoplasms Tumors or cancer of the OVARY. These neoplasms can be benign or malignant. They are classified according to the tissue of origin, such as the surface EPITHELIUM, the stromal endocrine cells, and the totipotent GERM CELLS. Cancer of Ovary,Ovarian Cancer,Cancer of the Ovary,Neoplasms, Ovarian,Ovary Cancer,Ovary Neoplasms,Cancer, Ovarian,Cancer, Ovary,Cancers, Ovarian,Cancers, Ovary,Neoplasm, Ovarian,Neoplasm, Ovary,Neoplasms, Ovary,Ovarian Cancers,Ovarian Neoplasm,Ovary Cancers,Ovary Neoplasm
D003131 Combined Modality Therapy The treatment of a disease or condition by several different means simultaneously or sequentially. Chemoimmunotherapy, RADIOIMMUNOTHERAPY, chemoradiotherapy, cryochemotherapy, and SALVAGE THERAPY are seen most frequently, but their combinations with each other and surgery are also used. Multimodal Treatment,Therapy, Combined Modality,Combined Modality Therapies,Modality Therapies, Combined,Modality Therapy, Combined,Multimodal Treatments,Therapies, Combined Modality,Treatment, Multimodal,Treatments, Multimodal
D005260 Female Females
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000971 Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols The use of two or more chemicals simultaneously or sequentially in the drug therapy of neoplasms. The drugs need not be in the same dosage form. Anticancer Drug Combinations,Antineoplastic Agents, Combined,Antineoplastic Chemotherapy Protocols,Antineoplastic Drug Combinations,Cancer Chemotherapy Protocols,Chemotherapy Protocols, Antineoplastic,Drug Combinations, Antineoplastic,Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Regimens,Combined Antineoplastic Agents,Agent, Combined Antineoplastic,Agents, Combined Antineoplastic,Anticancer Drug Combination,Antineoplastic Agent, Combined,Antineoplastic Chemotherapy Protocol,Antineoplastic Drug Combination,Cancer Chemotherapy Protocol,Chemotherapy Protocol, Antineoplastic,Chemotherapy Protocol, Cancer,Chemotherapy Protocols, Cancer,Combinations, Antineoplastic Drug,Combined Antineoplastic Agent,Drug Combination, Anticancer,Drug Combination, Antineoplastic,Drug Combinations, Anticancer,Protocol, Antineoplastic Chemotherapy,Protocol, Cancer Chemotherapy,Protocols, Antineoplastic Chemotherapy,Protocols, Cancer Chemotherapy
D016032 Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic Works about clinical trials that involve at least one test treatment and one control treatment, concurrent enrollment and follow-up of the test- and control-treated groups, and in which the treatments to be administered are selected by a random process, such as the use of a random-numbers table. Clinical Trials, Randomized,Controlled Clinical Trials, Randomized,Trials, Randomized Clinical
D016879 Salvage Therapy A therapeutic approach, involving chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or surgery, after initial regimens have failed to lead to improvement in a patient's condition. Salvage therapy is most often used for neoplastic diseases. Salvage Treatment,Therapy, Salvage,Salvage Therapies,Salvage Treatments,Therapies, Salvage,Treatment, Salvage,Treatments, Salvage
D018237 Germinoma A malignant neoplasm of the germinal tissue of the GONADS; MEDIASTINUM; or pineal region. Germinomas are uniform in appearance, consisting of large, round cells with vesicular nuclei and clear or finely granular eosinophilic-staining cytoplasm. (Stedman, 265th ed; from DeVita Jr et al., Cancer: Principles & Practice of Oncology, 3d ed, pp1642-3) Germinomas
D018312 Sex Cord-Gonadal Stromal Tumors Neoplasms derived from the primitive sex cord or gonadal stromal cells of the embryonic GONADS. They are classified by their presumed histogenesis and differentiation. From the sex cord, there are SERTOLI CELL TUMOR and GRANULOSA CELL TUMOR; from the gonadal stroma, LEYDIG CELL TUMOR and THECOMA. These tumors may be identified in either the OVARY or the TESTIS. Gynandroblastoma,Sex Cord-Stromal Tumor,Gynandroblastomas,Sex Cord Stromal Tumor,Sex Cord-Stromal Tumors,Tumor, Sex Cord-Stromal,Tumors, Sex Cord-Stromal

Related Publications

D M Gershenson
February 2023, Magnetic resonance imaging clinics of North America,
D M Gershenson
December 2022, Surgical pathology clinics,
D M Gershenson
November 2020, Virchows Archiv : an international journal of pathology,
D M Gershenson
April 2009, Seminars in oncology,
D M Gershenson
February 1999, Gynecologic oncology,
D M Gershenson
August 1999, The Urologic clinics of North America,
D M Gershenson
August 2002, Gan to kagaku ryoho. Cancer & chemotherapy,
Copied contents to your clipboard!