Treating stage I nonseminomatous germ cell tumours with a single cycle of chemotherapy

To estimate the rate of relapse in men with stage I nonseminomatous germ cell tumours (NSGCT) of the testis treated with one cycle of chemotherapy instead of the usual two cycles.

Between 1992 and 1996, 22 men with stage I NSGCT who had normalized tumour markers after orchidectomy and negative findings on computed tomography, and who were at moderate risk of relapse, were treated with one cycle of platinum-containing chemotherapy (bleomycin and etoposide with either cisplatin or carboplatin).

At a median follow-up of 10.2 years, none of the patients have relapsed with malignant GCTs.

The results after one cycle of chemotherapy are no worse than after two cycles. The present study needs to be replicated in a larger cohort of patients to define the relapse risk more accurately. This approach is soon to be tested in a large multicentre trial randomizing patients between one and two cycles.