Bleomycin, actinomycin-D, and cisplatin treatment of ovarian germ-cell malignancies contributes to reducing adverse drug reactions

Sixteen ovarian germ-cell malignancy (OGCM) patients between 1983 and 1999 were randomly divided into the BEP group (n=6; bleomycin, etoposide and cisplatin) and the BAP group (n=10; bleomycin, actinomycin-D and cisplatin). The patients were evaluated for adverse drug reactions (ADRs) based on severity-grading of the National Cancer Institute Common Toxicity Criteria. The ADRs in the BAP group were milder than in the BEP group, as seen in regard to alopecia (p=0.0126), low hemoglobin (p=0.0147), and decreased neutrophil count (p=0.0197). The five-year survival rate was 87.5% in the BAP group and 83.3% in the BEP group, and the difference was not significant (p=0.5954). BAP therapy is likely to be more beneficial for OGCM patients than BEP therapy, because ADRs are reduced with no difference in outcome.