[Medical treatment of metastatic germ cell cancers]

The treatment options in metastatic testicular germ cell cancer are based on prognostic the factor-based staging system from IGCCCG. Since 1987 (!), the optimal chemotherapy regimen has been BEP with a weekly administration of 30 mg of bleomycine, and a 3 or 5-day schedule of 500 mg/m(2) etoposide and 100 mg/m(2) cisplatin. Dose reduction of this regimen or use of carboplatin provide lower efficacy and should be abandoned. As a first line treatment, 3 cycles of BEP should be used in good-risk metastatic nonseminomatous germ cell tumours whereas 4 cycles of BEP are mandatory in poor-risk nonseminomatous cancers. No other chemotherapy regimen has proven superior efficacy. In the lack of specific controlled studies, metastatic seminoma should be treated as nonseminomatous tumours. As second line treatment, VeIP, high-dose chemotherapy with autologous stem cell transplantation and paclitaxel are the main options. Precise predictive factors of recurrence are needed to better define indications of first and other lines of treatment in specific situations such as non-resected residual seminoma.