© 2001 Khmer Academic Publishers Primed in the Netherlands. Original article Randomized phase III trial of bleomycin, vindesine, mitomycin-C, and cisplatin

Purpose: Three previous mitomycin-cisplatin-based chemo-therapy trials conducted within the EORTC Gynecological Cancer Cooperative Group (GCCG) in patients with dissemi-nated squamous-cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix (SCCUC) suggested that with such regimens a higher overall response rate and a higher complete response rate could be obtained compared to what might have been expected from cisplatin alone. In that respect the combination of bleomycin, vindesine (Eldesine®), mitomycin C and cisplatin (BEMP) was the most promising. In the present study BEMP has been compared with the best single agent, cisplatin (P) in the expectation that improved response rates might translate into a better survival. Patients and methods: Eligible patients were those with SCCUC and disseminated measurable disease outside previ-ously irradiated areas, aged < 75 years, with a WHO perfor