Etoposide and carboplatin in extraocular retinoblastoma: a study by the Société Française d'Oncologie Pédiatrique.

PURPOSE

A phase II study of etoposide (VP-16) and carboplatin was performed in patients with extraocular retinoblastoma to evaluate the response rate with this drug combination.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Twenty patients with extraocular retinoblastoma, age 9 to 120 months, were included in a cooperative multicenter phase II study of the Société Francçaise d'Oncologie Pédiatrique (SFOP). The schedule consisted of consecutive 5-day treatment with VP-16 100 mg/m2/d and carboplatin 160 mg/m2/d.

RESULTS

The response rate for the 20 patients was 85%; there were nine complete responses and eight partial responses. Hematologic toxicity was the only serious observed toxicity and was always manageable.

CONCLUSION

This combination of VP-16 and carboplatin is highly effective in extraocular retinoblastoma. The high response rate is encouraging for further evaluation of this drug combination in adjuvant chemotherapy when necessary after enucleation or in neoadjuvant chemotherapy for intraocular tumors.