Two Cases of Resected Mediastinal Malignant Gerr Cell Tumors following Cisplatin, Vinblastine, and Bleomycin Combination Chemotherapy

Abstract

We experienced two cases of mediastinal malignant germ cell tumors which were resectable following cisplatin, vinblastine and bleomycin (PVB) combination chemotherapy. The first case was a 30 year-old man with a complaint of susceptibility to fatigue and shoulder stiffness The second case was a 37 year-old man who complained of bloody sputum and left chest pain. At admission, the serum alpha-fetoprotein was markedly elevated (5000 and 200 ng/ml) in both cases and serum human chorionic gonadotoropin was also elevated (36 ng/ml) in the second case.
After two courses of modified PVB chemotherapy, the serum tumor markers were normalized in both cases.
The markedly decreased mediastinal tumor masses were then resected. Viable tumor cells were not present in the resected tumors. Both patients are free of disease at present, 6 and 27 months after the initial treatment.
It was considered that PVB chemotherapy with surgical resection was extremely effective approach for the treatment of malignant germ cell tumor of the mediastinum.