J Grabbe’s scientific contributions

Forty patients with germ cell tumors were treated with carboplatin 1500-2000 mg/m2, etoposide 1200-1600 mg/m2 and ifosfamide 0-10 g/m2 plus mesna followed by autologous stem cell reinfusion. A pruritic maculopapular rash was observed in 10 patients usually starting on the last day of chemotherapy. Lesions remained localized to the extremities in four patients. In six they became confluent and progressed also involving the trunk and face. Facial edema and painful swelling of hands and feet also occurred in this latter group. No ulcerations or bullae formation were seen and changes resolved spontaneously in all patients within 3 weeks leaving marked hyperpigmentation in involved areas. Renal function declined in nine of 10 patients concomitantly with evolving cutaneous changes, but recovered in all except one. Cutaneous side effects were more frequent with increasing doses of etoposide and carboplatin and in patients with deteriorating renal function. Plasma concentrations during high-dose chemotherapy should be monitored to avoid excessive serum levels and toxicity, especially in patients at risk of renal dysfunction.