[Primary mediastinal germs cells tumors: a twenty years experience in a comprehensive cancer center]

The aim of this study is to report treatments results of patients with primary germ cell tumors (GCTs) of mediastinum.

A retrospective review was done of 19 consecutive patients with mediastinal GCTs treated in "Institut de cancérologie de Lorraine" between 1990 and 2012.

A total of 19 patients were enrolled in this study. Three patients had pure seminoma and 16 patients had non-seminomatous germ cell tumors. All patients were treated with cisplatinum based chemotherapy at a dose of 33.48 mg/m(2)/week. At the end of chemotherapy, three patients (15.8%) had complete response and negative marker, seven of them (36.8%) had partial response and negative marker, five of them (26.32%) had partial response and positive marker, three of them (15.8%) had progressive disease (refractory disease) and one patient died because of the disease during treatment. The 1-year and 5-year overall survival rates were respectively 78 and 36% and the progression-free survival rate was 43%. When relapse occurred, this happened within a 13 month period.

Our study confirmed the good management of mediastinal GCTs in our institute with similar results compared to literature.