Combination Chemotherapy and Radiation Therapy in Treating Patients With Germ Cell Tumors in the Brain

OBJECTIVES:

Primary

• Evaluate and compare, in a non-randomized protocol, reduced-dose craniospinal radiotherapy alone or combination chemotherapy comprising carboplatin, etoposide phosphate, and ifosfamide and local irradiation in patients with intracranial germinoma.

• Increase survival with combination chemotherapy comprising cisplatin, etoposide phosphate, and ifosfamide followed by focal radiotherapy or craniospinal irradiation in patients with intracranial secreting germ cell tumors.

Secondary

• Use the same diagnostic protocol for imaging and laboratory investigations before, during, and after treatment.

• Establish and use a common documentation system regarding general patient's data, including diagnostic tests, clinical evaluation, surgery, histology, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and toxicity.

• Collect information about toxicity, prognostic factors, and tumor markers.

• Collect epidemiological data, including documentation of incidence and the site and the histologic pattern of intracranial secreting and nonsecreting germ cell tumors in children and adolescents.

• Register associated malformations in the patients as well as the epidemiology of tumors and malformations in relatives.

OUTLINE: This is a non-randomized, multicenter study. Patients are stratified according to tumor classification (pure CNS germinoma vs secreting germ cell tumor and embryonal carcinoma).

Patients in stratum I undergo biopsy or surgical resection and then begin radiotherapy with or without chemotherapy.

• Stratum I (pure CNS germinoma [without elevated markers]): Patients receive 1 of 2 treatment options based on national/center standard:

  • Option 1: Patients receive reduced-dose craniospinal radiotherapy 5 days a week for 3 weeks followed by a boost to the tumor bed 5 days a week for 2 weeks. Patients with multifocal or metastatic disease receive additional boosts to the tumor sites.

  • Option 2: Patients receive carboplatin IV over 1 hour on day 1, etoposide phosphate IV over 1 hour on days 1-3 and 22-24, and ifosfamide IV over 3 hours on days 22-26. Treatment repeats every 6 weeks for 2 courses. After recovery from chemotherapy, patients undergo radiotherapy 5 days a week for 5 weeks.

• Stratum II (secreting tumors and embryonal carcinoma): Patients receive etoposide phosphate IV over 1 hour on days 1-3, cisplatin IV over 1 hour on days 1-5, and ifosfamide IV over 22 hours on days 1-5. Treatment repeats every 3 weeks for up to 4 courses. Patients whose tumor markers do not return to normal after completion of chemotherapy are off protocol. Patients may undergo surgery after chemotherapy course 2 or 4 if required. After completion of chemotherapy and recovery from surgery, patients with nonmetastatic disease undergo radiotherapy to the tumor bed 5 day a week for 6 weeks, and patients with metastatic disease undergo radiotherapy to the cerebrum, spinal axis, and tumor bed for 7 weeks.

After completion of study treatment, patients are followed for 4 weeks and then periodically.

PROJECTED ACCRUAL: Approximately 500 patients will be accrued for this study.