Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42203894›Full record

ArticleBritish journal of cancer2026

Depth of response to primary POMB/ACE chemotherapy predicts survival in poor prognosis germ-cell tumours.

Emily Hobbs, Lara Ulrich, Anand Sharma, Gina Sherpa, Sarah Howlett, Alice Maxwell, Dee Short, Ignacio Vazquez, Roshan Agarwal, David Hrouda and 10 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in British journal of cancer, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

20 authors.

Emily HobbsDepartment of Medical Oncology, Charing Cross Hospital Campus of Imperial College London, London, UK.
Lara UlrichDepartment of Medical Oncology, Charing Cross Hospital Campus of Imperial College London, London, UK.
Anand SharmaDepartment of Medical Oncology, Mount Vernon Hospital, London, UK.
Gina SherpaDepartment of Medical Oncology, Charing Cross Hospital Campus of Imperial College London, London, UK.
Sarah HowlettDepartment of Medical Oncology, Mount Vernon Hospital, London, UK.
Alice MaxwellDepartment of Medical Oncology, Charing Cross Hospital Campus of Imperial College London, London, UK.
Dee ShortDepartment of Medical Oncology, Charing Cross Hospital Campus of Imperial College London, London, UK.
Ignacio VazquezDepartment of Medical Oncology, Mount Vernon Hospital, London, UK.
Roshan AgarwalMedical Oncology, University Hospitals of Northamptonshire NHS Trust, London, UK.
David HroudaDepartment of Urology, Charing Cross Hospital Campus of Imperial College London, London, UK.
Ethna MannionDepartment of Histopathology, Charing Cross Hospital Campus of Imperial College London, London, UK.
Edmund H WilkesDepartment of North West London Pathology, Charing Cross Hospital Campus of Imperial College London, London, UK.
Jingky Lozano-KuehneBiostatistics Research Group, Population Health Sciences Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle, UK.
Eslam MaherDepartment of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, London, UK.
Gordon RustinDepartment of Medical Oncology, Mount Vernon Hospital, London, UK.
Terry TinDepartment of Medical Oncology, Charing Cross Hospital Campus of Imperial College London, London, UK.
Michael GonzalezDepartment of Medical Oncology, Charing Cross Hospital Campus of Imperial College London, London, UK.
Naveed SarwarDepartment of Medical Oncology, Charing Cross Hospital Campus of Imperial College London, London, UK.
Michael J SecklDepartment of Medical Oncology, Charing Cross Hospital Campus of Imperial College London, London, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4078-2599
Ehsan GhoraniDepartment of Medical Oncology, Charing Cross Hospital Campus of Imperial College London, London, UK. e.ghorani@imperial.ac.uk.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundMost chemotherapy regimens for poor-risk non-seminomatous germ cell tumours (PRGCT) deliver a fixed number of cycles; the role of variable treatment duration aiming for maximal response is unknown. Since the 1970s, we have utilised POMB/ACE chemotherapy for PRGCT, treating until marker normalisation. From mid-1990s, treatment was limited to 7 cycles. We describe outcomes with POMB/ACE for PRCGT, evaluating the association between treatment duration and survival.

methodsWe conducted a retrospective cohort study across two UK tertiary cancer centres, identifying patients treated between 1978-2013. Complete response was defined based on normalisation of elevated tumour markers, absence of viable cancer in resection material and resolution of radiological abnormalities. Regression techniques were used to investigate the relationship between therapy duration and outcomes.

results132 PRGCT patients completed POMB/ACE with 69.7% (n = 92) alive at 5 years. Number of cycles delivered significantly correlated with recurrence free survival (HR 0.52; 95% CI 0.38-0.71; p < 0.001) and complete biochemical response (OR 1.27; 95% CI 1.10-1.49; p = 0.0018). POMB/ACE discontinuation amongst patients with responding but not normalised tumour markers was associated with worse survival. Study limitations include the retrospective design.

conclusionPOMB/ACE is highly active for PRGCT. Treatment until maximal biochemical response is associated with superior survival outcomes and warrants further exploration.

Indexed as

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy ProtocolsNeoplasms, Germ Cell and EmbryonalTesticular NeoplasmsAdolescentAdultBleomycinCisplatinCyclophosphamideDactinomycinDisease-Free SurvivalEtoposideHumansMalePrognosisRetrospective StudiesTreatment OutcomeBleomycinCisplatinCyclophosphamideDactinomycinEtoposideVincristine

Identifiers

PMID42203894
PMCPMC13478161

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.