Testicular Cancer Trials

This randomized phase III trial studies how well standard-dose combination chemotherapy works compared to high-dose combination chemotherapy and stem cell transplant in treating patients with germ cell tumors (including testicular cancer) that have returned after a period of improvement or did not respond to treatment. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as paclitaxel, ifosfamide, cisplatin, carboplatin, and etoposide, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading. Giving chemotherapy before a stem cell transplant stops the growth of cancer cells by stopping them from dividing or killing them. Giving colony-stimulating factors (drugs that help increase white blood cells), such as filgrastim or pegfilgrastim, and certain chemotherapy drugs, helps stem cells move from the bone marrow to the blood so they can be collected and stored. Chemotherapy is then given to prepare the bone marrow for the stem cell transplant. The stem cells are then returned to the patient to replace the blood-forming cells that were destroyed by the chemotherapy. It is not yet known whether high-dose combination chemotherapy and stem cell transplant are more effective than standard-dose combination chemotherapy in treating patients with refractory or relapsed germ cell tumors.

The purpose of this study is to determine whether accelerated BEP chemotherapy is more effective than standard BEP chemotherapy in males with intermediate and poor-risk metastatic germ cell tumors (including testicular cancer). Bleomycin, Etoposide, Cisplatin (BEP) remains standard first line chemotherapy for intermediate- and poor-risk metastatic germ cell tumours (GCTs). Cure rates are over 90% for good-risk disease, 85% with intermediate-risk, and about 70% for poor-risk disease. Previous strategies to improve first-line chemotherapy have failed to improve cure rates and were more toxic than BEP. New strategies are needed for patients with intermediate and poor-risk disease. BEP is accelerated by cycling Cisplatin and etoposide. The Australian and New Zealand Urogenital and Prostate Cancer Trials Group (ANZUP) is conducting this trial comparing accelerated BEP with standard BEP.

This phase III trial studies how well active surveillance, bleomycin, carboplatin, etoposide, or cisplatin (all types of chemotherapy) work in treating pediatric and adult patients with germ cell tumors (including testicular cancer). Active surveillance may help doctors to monitor subjects with low risk germ cell tumors after their tumor is removed. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as bleomycin, carboplatin, etoposide, and cisplatin, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading.

This research trial studies the Project: Every Child for younger patients with cancer. Gathering health information over time from younger patients with cancer may help doctors find better methods of treatment and on-going care. Patients undergo medical data review to create a Childhood Cancer Registry. Patients also undergo collection of bio-specimen samples (e.g., tissue, blood, bone marrow, plasma, serum, buccal cells, saliva, cerebrospinal fluid, or urine). This is NOT a treatment study.

This trial studies whether the blood marker micro ribonucleic acid (miRNA) 371 can predict the chance of cancer returning in patients with germ cell cancers (like testicular cancer). Studying samples of blood from patients with germ cell cancers in the laboratory may help doctors predict how likely the cancer will come back. There is no treatment given as part of this study. Patients undergo collection of blood every 3-6 months for up to 3 years.