Testicular NeoplasmsPhase 3SWENOTECA-ABCNCT02341989
Adjuvant Bleomycin, Etoposide and Cisplatin (BEP) Versus Carboplatin in Stage I Seminomatous Testicular Cancer
A Phase 3 study testing Bleomycin Etoposide and Cisplatin and Carboplatin in people with Testicular Neoplasms and Seminoma, run by St. Olavs Hospital at 2 sites in Norway.
Trial summary
One course of adjuvant carboplatin AUC7 is considered internationally to be a standard treatment option in clinical stage I seminoma, regardless of risk factors. Treatment is based on a large, randomized phase III study comparing adjuvant carboplatin with adjuvant radiotherapy. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 60 years, men only
- Conditions the study is for
- Testicular Neoplasms, Seminoma
- What is being tested?
- Bleomycin Etoposide and Cisplatin and Carboplatin
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 348 participants
- Where
- 2 sitesNorway
- Study dates
- 8 Apr 2015to May 2032
- Phase
- Phase 3
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 to 60 years
- Men only
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult
Who may be able to join
- Histological diagnosis of unilateral seminoma testicular cancer, evaluating both size of tumor and invasion of the rete testis
- Clinical stage I
- Tumor size over 4 cm and/or stromal invasion of the rete testis by tumor cells
- Normal value of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) before orchiectomy. A stable, slightly elevated AFP as a normal value may be permitted.
- Age ≥ 18 years and < 60 years
- Adequate organ function defined as:
- Serum aspartate transaminase (ALT) ≤ 1.5 x upper limit of normal (ULN). Total serum bilirubin ≤ 1.5 x ULN Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) ≥ 1.5 x 109/L Platelets ≥ 100 x 109/L Creatinine clearance > 50 ml/min (eGFR) All fertile patients should use safe contraception Written informed consent
Who cannot join
- Signs of metastatic disease evaluated by CT thorax, abdomen and pelvis. Patients in need of restaging (see SWENOTECA IX) should not be included
- Prior diagnosis of testicular cancer
- Chronic pulmonary disorders giving a high risk of bleomycin induced toxicity (for example chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or lung fibrosis)
- Cancer other than seminoma testicular cancer
- Known hypersensitivity or contraindications for the study drugs
- Serious concomitant systemic disorders (for example active infection, unstable cardiovascular disease) that in the opinion of the investigator would compromise the patient's ability to complete the study or interfere with the evaluation of the efficacy and safety of the study treatment
- Medical, social, psychological conditions that could prevent adequate information and follow-up
Trial locations and contacts
2 sites in 1 country.
Norway2 sites
Institutt for kreftforskning og molekylær medisin, St Olavs Hospital
Trondheim
St. Olavs University hospital HF
Trondheim
About this study
Official title: A Randomized Phase III Study Comparing One Course of Adjuvant Bleomycin, Etoposide and Cisplatin (BEP) and One Course of Carboplatin AUC7 in Clinical Stage I Seminomatous Testicular Cancer
One course of adjuvant carboplatin AUC7 is considered internationally to be a standard treatment option in clinical stage I seminoma, regardless of risk factors. Treatment is based on a large, randomized phase III study comparing adjuvant carboplatin with adjuvant radiotherapy. This study was done without registering data on possible risk factor for relapse. The relapse rate following carboplatin was in this study estimated to be 5.3 %. Data from a prospective, risk-adapted Spanish study showed that patients without risk factors had a very low risk of relapse, even without adjuvant treatment. This result is also confirmed by a recent analysis of SWENOTECA VII data, showing that this group of patients has a risk of relapse of less than 5 % without adjuvant treatment.
Combined data from SWENOTECA V and VII studies indicate a high risk of relapse in patients with one or two risk factors (tumor 4 cm, stromal invasion of rete testis) treated with one course of adjuvant carboplatin. The relapse rate in this group of patients was 9.4 %, indicating a very modest effect of one course of adjuvant carboplatin. If adjuvant chemotherapy is the preferred treatment strategy, more potent chemotherapy regimens should be explored in this patient group. The results from SWENOTECA III/VI studies with one course of cisplatin-based adjuvant chemotherapy in clinical stage I nonseminoma, show a very low rate of relapse. As seminoma is even more chemosensitive than nonseminoma the relapse rate following one course of adjuvant BEP is expected to be very low, close to 1 %.
The overall aim is to investigate whether one course of adjuvant BEP have a lower relapse rate than one course of adjuvant carboplatin AUC7. In addition, it will be investigated if there is a difference in health related quality of life as well as acute and long-term toxicities from treatment.
Read the detailed description
Short term overall survival is, regardless of treatment allocation, expected to be very close to 100 %. The primary outcome is relapse rate. The power of the study depends on the number of observed relapses. If the relapse rate in the adjuvant carboplatin group, the reference group, is lower than the anticipated 9 %, we need to include more patients to the study. Based on all previous published material on adjuvant treatment in clinical stage I seminoma it is not possible to precisely estimate the correct relapse rate until the median follow-up is four years. Consequently, we will estimate the relapse rate in the reference group close to the end of accrual. If the estimated relapse rate, and thus the number of relapses, is lower than the anticipated we will increase the sample size to make sure that the study meets the minimum required number of relapses in the reference group. A possible inclusion of more study participants does not compromise the Type I error rate of the study.
- Conditions
- Testicular Neoplasms, Seminoma
- Being tested
- Bleomycin Etoposide and Cisplatin, Carboplatin
- Keywords
- Chemotherapy, adjuvant, Recurrence, Carboplatin, Bleomycin, Etoposide, Cisplatin
- Medical subject headings
- Testicular Neoplasms, Seminoma, Recurrence
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Bleomycin Etoposide and CisplatinDrug
Also called BEP
CarboplatinDrug
Also called Carboplatin AUC7
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Bleomycin-Etoposide-Cisplatin | Experimental | One course of adjuvant BEP. Receives: Drug: Bleomycin Etoposide and Cisplatin |
| Carboplatin | Active comparator | One course of adjuvant carboplatin AUC7 Receives: Drug: Carboplatin |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Relapse rate
Measured: 10 years
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted19 Jan 2015 (estimated)
- Study start8 Apr 2015
- Primary completionMay 2027 (estimated)
- Study completionMay 2032 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Testicular NeoplasmsStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by St. Olavs HospitalThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase 3
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 348 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- St. Olavs Hospital
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Haukeland University Hospital, University Hospital of North Norway, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Karolinska Institutet, Oslo University Hospital, Uppsala University Hospital, University Hospital, Linkoeping, Skane University Hospital, Norrlands University Hospital
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Olof Ståhl, Md PhD, Principal investigator, Skane University HospitalTorgrim Tandstad, MD PhD, Principal investigator, St. Olavs Hospital
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT02341989
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 2014/2012
- Other IDs
- 2014-004075-23, 2014
- Acronym
- SWENOTECA-ABC
- Status last verified
- Dec 2025
- First submitted
- 14 Jan 2015
- Last updated
- 2 Dec 2025
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 2 Dec 2025. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- A Randomized Phase III Study Comparing One Course of Adjuvant Bleomycin, Etoposide and Cisplatin (BEP) and One Course of Carboplatin AUC7 in Clinical Stage I Seminomatous Testicular Cancer
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT02341989
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- SWENOTECA-ABC / 2014/2012
- Conditions
- Testicular Neoplasms, Seminoma
- Keywords
- Chemotherapy, adjuvant, Recurrence, Carboplatin, Bleomycin, Etoposide, Cisplatin
- Phase
- Phase 3
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Active, not recruiting
- Enrolment
- 348 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- St. Olavs HospitalUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Haukeland University Hospital, University Hospital of North Norway, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Karolinska Institutet, Oslo University Hospital, Uppsala University Hospital, University Hospital, Linkoeping, Skane University Hospital, Norrlands University Hospital
- Study start
- 8 Apr 2015 (actual)
- Primary completion
- May 2027 (estimated)
- Study completion
- May 2032 (estimated)
- First posted
- 19 Jan 2015 (estimated)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
One course of adjuvant carboplatin AUC7 is considered internationally to be a standard treatment option in clinical stage I seminoma, regardless of risk factors. Treatment is based on a large, randomized phase III study comparing adjuvant carboplatin with adjuvant radiotherapy. This study was done without registering data on possible risk factor for relapse. The relapse rate following carboplatin was in this study estimated to be 5.3 %. Data from a prospective, risk-adapted Spanish study showed that patients without risk factors had a very low risk of relapse, even without adjuvant treatment. This result is also confirmed by a recent analysis of SWENOTECA VII data, showing that this group of patients has a risk of relapse of less than 5 % without adjuvant treatment.
Combined data from SWENOTECA V and VII studies indicate a high risk of relapse in patients with one or two risk factors (tumor 4 cm, stromal invasion of rete testis) treated with one course of adjuvant carboplatin. The relapse rate in this group of patients was 9.4 %, indicating a very modest effect of one course of adjuvant carboplatin. If adjuvant chemotherapy is the preferred treatment strategy, more potent chemotherapy regimens should be explored in this patient group. The results from SWENOTECA III/VI studies with one course of cisplatin-based adjuvant chemotherapy in clinical stage I nonseminoma, show a very low rate of relapse. As seminoma is even more chemosensitive than nonseminoma the relapse rate following one course of adjuvant BEP is expected to be very low, close to 1 %.
The overall aim is to investigate whether one course of adjuvant BEP have a lower relapse rate than one course of adjuvant carboplatin AUC7. In addition, it will be investigated if there is a difference in health related quality of life as well as acute and long-term toxicities from treatment.
Detailed description
Short term overall survival is, regardless of treatment allocation, expected to be very close to 100 %. The primary outcome is relapse rate. The power of the study depends on the number of observed relapses. If the relapse rate in the adjuvant carboplatin group, the reference group, is lower than the anticipated 9 %, we need to include more patients to the study. Based on all previous published material on adjuvant treatment in clinical stage I seminoma it is not possible to precisely estimate the correct relapse rate until the median follow-up is four years. Consequently, we will estimate the relapse rate in the reference group close to the end of accrual. If the estimated relapse rate, and thus the number of relapses, is lower than the anticipated we will increase the sample size to make sure that the study meets the minimum required number of relapses in the reference group. A possible inclusion of more study participants does not compromise the Type I error rate of the study.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Bleomycin-Etoposide-Cisplatin | Experimental | Drug: Bleomycin Etoposide and CisplatinOne course of adjuvant BEP. |
| Carboplatin | Active comparator | Drug: CarboplatinOne course of adjuvant carboplatin AUC7 |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 60 years
- Sex
- Male only
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult
Key inclusion criteria (7 listed)
- Histological diagnosis of unilateral seminoma testicular cancer, evaluating both size of tumor and invasion of the rete testis
- Clinical stage I
- Tumor size over 4 cm and/or stromal invasion of the rete testis by tumor cells
- Normal value of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) before orchiectomy. A stable, slightly elevated AFP as a normal value may be permitted.
- Age ≥ 18 years and < 60 years
Key exclusion criteria (7 listed)
- Signs of metastatic disease evaluated by CT thorax, abdomen and pelvis. Patients in need of restaging (see SWENOTECA IX) should not be included
- Prior diagnosis of testicular cancer
- Chronic pulmonary disorders giving a high risk of bleomycin induced toxicity (for example chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or lung fibrosis)
- Cancer other than seminoma testicular cancer
- Known hypersensitivity or contraindications for the study drugs
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Bleomycin Etoposide and CisplatinAlso: BEP | Drug | Bleomycin-Etoposide-Cisplatin |
| CarboplatinAlso: Carboplatin AUC7 | Drug | Carboplatin |
Primary outcome
Relapse rate
Time frame: 10 years
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 2 Dec 2025.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Olof Ståhl, Md PhD principal investigator
Skane University Hospital
Torgrim Tandstad, MD PhD principal investigator
St. Olavs Hospital
2 sites in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A Phase 3 study testing Bleomycin Etoposide and Cisplatin and Carboplatin in people with Testicular Neoplasms and Seminoma, run by St. Olavs Hospital at 2 sites in Norway.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 7 inclusion and 7 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: under way, not looking for participants, as of the sponsor's last update on 2 Dec 2025. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 2 sites in Norway. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
What does this phase mean?
Phase 3 studies compare the treatment with the current standard treatment or a placebo in a large group, to confirm how well it works and watch for side effects.
Not every study follows the same path, and some studies (observational studies, device studies) have no phase.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Relapse rate (time frame: 10 years). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 2 Dec 2025; AzTrials last refreshed its copy on 8 Nov 2026.