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Updated: Nov 12, 2025

A Bioluminescent and Fluorescent Orthotopic Syngeneic Murine Model of Androgen-dependent and Castration-resistant Prostate Cancer
Published on: March 6, 2018
Targeted Therapy in Patients with Metastatic Male Germ Cell Tumors
Axel Heidenreich1,2, Pia Paffenholz3, Tim Nestler3,4
1Department of Urology, Uro-Oncology, Robot-Assisted and Specialized Urologic Surgery, University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, Germany, axel.heidenreich@uk-koeln.de.
Abstract:
Ten to fifteen percent of patients with metastatic testis cancer (mGCT) will develop chemorefractory disease of which about 50% will die. We report on the integration of next generation sequencing in daily clinical practice to identify druggable mutations in metastatic lesions of 3 patients with mGCT. Mutational analysis revealed KIT D820G, TP53, and NPM1 mutations as well as mismatch repair deficiency with loss of MSH2 and MSH6 proteins so that targeted therapy with sunitinib (n = 2) or pembrolizumab (n = 1) was initiated resulting in remarkable partial remissions for 9, 12+, and 15 months.
Insights
Next-generation sequencing identified actionable mutations in metastatic germ cell tumors (mGCT). Targeted therapies like sunitinib and pembrolizumab led to significant partial remissions in patients with refractory mGCT.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Genetics
- Precision Medicine
Background:
- Metastatic germ cell tumors (mGCT) pose a significant challenge, with 10-15% developing chemorefractory disease.
- Approximately 50% of patients with refractory mGCT have a fatal outcome.
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