carboplatin + epirubicin + etoposide + ifosfamide + paclitaxel + thiotepa

This is a multi-agent chemotherapy regimen composed of six cytotoxic drugs—carboplatin, epirubicin, etoposide, ifosfamide, paclitaxel, and thiotepa. These agents are all small molecule chemotherapeutics with distinct but complementary mechanisms of action targeting rapidly dividing cancer cells. The combination has been used in high-dose chemotherapy protocols for the treatment of relapsed or refractory germ cell tumors (GCT), particularly testicular cancer. The regimen is typically administered sequentially or in cycles as part of salvage therapy after failure of cisplatin-based treatments and may be followed by autologous stem cell transplantation to restore bone marrow function[1][3][5]. Each component acts via a different mechanism: - Carboplatin and ifosfamide are alkylating agents that cause DNA crosslinking. - Epirubicin is an anthracycline that intercalates into DNA and inhibits topoisomerase II. - Etoposide inhibits topoisomerase II leading to DNA strand breaks. - Paclitaxel stabilizes microtubules preventing cell division. - Thiotepa is an alkylating agent causing DNA crosslinking.

Other names

EPI + PTX + TSPA + IFO + CARBO + VP-16