Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42231028›Full record

ArticleBritish journal of cancer2026

Risk factors and causes of early death in germ cell tumors: a Global Society for Rare GU tumors study.

Michal Mego, Edgar Israelyan, Robert J Hamilton, Axel Heidenreich, Umberto Basso, Patrizia Giannatempo, Tomas Buchler, Klaus-Peter Dieckmann, Robert Huddart, Bruno Vincenzi and 12 more

Abstract readMulticenter Study
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

22 authors.

Michal MegoFaculty of Medicine, Comenius University and National Cancer Institute, Bratislava, Slovakia. misomego@gmail.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6511-6827
Edgar IsraelyanN.N. Blokhin National Medical Research Center of Oncology, Moscow, Russia.
Robert J HamiltonPrincess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Axel HeidenreichDepartment of Urology, Uro-Oncology, Robot Assisted and Specialized Urologic Surgery, University Hospital Cologne, Köln, Germany.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2511-3664
Umberto BassoOncology Unit 1, Department of Oncology, Istituto Oncologico Veneto IOV - IRCCS, Padova, Italy.
Patrizia GiannatempoGenitourinary Oncology Unit, Department of Medical Oncology and Ematology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milan, Italy.
Tomas BuchlerMotol University Hospital, Prague, Czech Republic.
Klaus-Peter DieckmannAsklepios Klinik Altona, Dept, Urology, Hamburg, Germany.
Robert HuddartThe Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
Bruno VincenziUniversity Campus Bio-Medico, Rome, Italy.
Kwonoh ParkHanyang University Seoul Hospital, Hanyang University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Jorge AparicioUniversity and Polytechnic Hospital La Fe, Valencia, Spain.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5527-0786
Alexei TryakinN.N. Blokhin National Medical Research Center of Oncology, Moscow, Russia.
Ali AmiriPrincess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Pavlina MalcharkovaFaculty of Medicine, Comenius University and National Cancer Institute, Bratislava, Slovakia.
Melanie ClapsGenitourinary Oncology Unit, Department of Medical Oncology and Ematology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milan, Italy.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7932-7898
Marija MileticThe Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
Lucia ChaloupkovaMotol University Hospital, Prague, Czech Republic.
Markus AngererAsklepios Klinik Altona, Dept, Urology, Hamburg, Germany.
Philippe E SpiessDepartment of GU Oncology, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5723-1972
Ugo De GiorgiDepartment of Experimetal Medicine, University of Salento, Fazzi Hospital, Lecce, Italy.
Global Society for Rare GU Tumors

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundGerm cell tumors (GCTs) are highly curable, yet a subset of patients with metastatic disease experience early death (ED) soon after starting first-line chemotherapy. These patients are underrepresented in trials, and risk factors remain unclear.

methodsWe performed a retrospective multicenter cohort study including adults ( ≥ 18 years) with metastatic GCT who died within 3 months of completing their last cycle of first-line chemotherapy. Primary outcomes were cause and timing of death; secondary endpoints included clinical predictors of acute respiratory failure (ARF) and very early death ( ≤ 30 days).

resultsAmong 102 patients (1.7% of treated cases), 69.6% had non-seminoma, 83.3% testicular primaries, and 67.6% poor-risk disease. Median time to death was 28 days (range, 2-179). Leading causes were ARF (34.1%), disease progression (16.7%), septic shock (15.7%), hemorrhage (12.7%), and cardiovascular events (4.0%). ARF correlated with > 50% lung involvement, dyspnoea, and haemoptysis, but not choriocarcinoma histology or bleomycin use. Mostly, ED (51%) was associated with liver metastases, massive lung involvement, β-hCG > 50,000 mIU/mL, ECOG 2-3, elevated neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio, and need for intensive care (all P < 0.05).

conclusionsEarly death in metastatic GCT, though rare, remains a critical clinical issue. Early identification, adapted induction regimens, and optimized supportive care may help prevent avoidable mortality.

Indexed as

Neoplasms, Germ Cell and EmbryonalTesticular NeoplasmsAdolescentAdultAgedCause of DeathFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedRetrospective StudiesRisk FactorsYoung Adult

Identifiers

PMID42231028
PMCPMC13478367

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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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.