PURPOSE: To retrospectively re-evaluate a published prognostic score for response to salvage treatment in patients with germ-cell tumours relapsing or progressing after cisplatin-based first-line chemotherapy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From a database of 257 germ cell tumour (GCT) patients treated with salvage high-dose chemotherapy (HDCT) we identified 176 patients (67%) with relapse or progression after first-line conventional-dose chemotherapy (CDCT). Patients were retrospectively grouped according to a published prognostic score defined by Fossa and colleagues [Fossa SD, Stenning SP, Gerl A, et al. Prognostic factors in patients progressing after cisplatin-based chemotherapy for malignant non-seminomatous germ cell tumors. Br J Cancer 1999; 80:1392-9]. Overall survival (OS) and event free survival (EFS) after HDCT were retrospectively evaluated in each prognostic group. RESULTS: After a median follow-up of 9 years the OS probability for all 176 patients was 38% and the EFS probability was 35%. The respective survival probability at 5 years in 100/176 (57%) good prognosis patients and 76/176 (43%) poor prognosis patients were 47% versus 28% for OS (p
