Combined treatment modality for intracranial germinomas: results of a multicentre SFOP experience

Summary Conventional therapy for intracranial germinomas is craniospinal irradiation. In 1990, the Société Française d’Oncologie Pédiatrique initiated a study combining chemotherapy (alternating courses of etoposide–carboplatin and etoposide–ifosfamide for a recommended total of four courses) with 40 Gy local irradiation for patients with localized germinomas. Metastatic patients were allocated to receive low-dose craniospinal radiotherapy. Fifty-seven patients were enrolled between 1990 and 1996. Forty-seven had biopsy-proven germinoma. Biopsy was not performed in ten patients (four had diagnostic tumour markers and in six the neurosurgeon felt biopsy was contraindicated). Fifty-one patients had localized disease, and six leptomeningeal dissemination. Seven patients had bifocal tumour. All but one patient received at least four courses of chemotherapy. Toxicity was mainly haematological. Patients with diabetus insipidus ( n = 25) commonly developed electrolyte disturbances during chemotherapy. No patient developed tumour progression during chemotherapy. Fifty patients received local radiotherapy with a median dose of 40 Gy to the initial tumour volume. Six metastatic patients, and one patient with localized disease who stopped chemotherapy due to severe toxicity, received craniospinal radiotherapy. The median follow-up for the group was 42 months. Four patients relapsed 9, 10, 38 and 57 months after diagnosis. Three achieved second complete remission following salvage treatment with chemotherapy alone or chemo-radiotherapy. The estimated 3-year survival probability is 98% (CI: 86.6–99.7%) and the estimated 3-year event-free survival is 96.4% (CI: 86.2–99.1%). This study shows that excellent survival rates can be achieved by combining chemotherapy and local radiotherapy in patients with non-metastatic intracranial germinomas.