Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0025202 (melanoma)
 69,561 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Endolymphatic isotope therapy had such promising early clinical results that the M.R.C. (Medical Research Council) U.K. set up a clinical trial in 1966. This was to compare the effect of endolymphatic isotope therapy with the results of standard methods in the treatment of lower limb malignant melanoma. The interim report had three groups for analysis: Standard Methods (S); Endolymphatic Satisfactory (ES); and Endolymphatic Unsatisfactory (EU). This third group was a subdivision, as a significant number of patients did not have the correct endolymphatic treatment. The five-year survival figures expressed as actuarial percentages were ES=78.8%; S=82.3%; and EU=57.3%. Lymph node recurrence showed a significant difference: ES=2.3%; EU=12%; and S=19%. The conclusions were that endolymphatic isotope therapy was justified in specialized centres where good results could be obtained. Further animal experiments using the VX2 tumour in rabbits indicated that BCG given intracutaneously or intravenously had no therapeutic effect, whereas when applied by intralymphatic injection BCG was successful in treating lymph node metastases. Nineteen patients with poor-prognosis malignant melanoma have received endolymphatic BCG. The clinical results are recorded in this paper and are sufficiently encouraging to warrant its continued use.
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PMID:Endolymphatic isotope and BCG in the management of malignant melanoma. 27 47

This study evaluates the effect of adjuvant immunotherapy with BCG alone, or combined with melanoma cell vaccine, on the recurrence and survival rates of patients with metastatic melanoma in the regional lymph nodes who were treated by lymphadenectomy. Patients were prospectively randomized and stratified on the basis of age, sex, site of primary tumour, and clinical estimate of the regional nodes. During the past four years, 134 patients were entered into this trial, and to date, the incidence of recurrence among the two arms mentioned and the control arm is not significantly different; however, patients receiving BCG alone had longer survival than those in either the tumour cell vaccine or control groups. The improved survival in the BCG-only group was found to be due to the fact that patients survived longer with their recurrent disease than the patients in the other two groups. At the present time, these differences do not appear to be significant enough to justify routine adjuvant immunotherapy in patients with melanoma metastatic to regional nodes. Longer follow-up will be necessary to evaluate the role of adjuvant immunotherapy of Stage II melanoma.
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PMID:Preliminary results of a randomized trial of adjuvant immunotherapy in patients with malignant melanoma who have lymph node metastases. 27 48

The effects of treatment by immunotherapy and chemoimmunotherapy were assessed in 31 non-randomized patients with melanoma; 16 received only BCG and 15 BCG and chemotherapy. For advanced cases, the times of survival for the two treatment groups did not differ significantly, nor did there appear to be any improvement in survival over that recorded for the natural course of the disease. The pretreatment immune status as judged by hyporeactivity or normal reactivity to skin tests for delayed type hypersensitivity did not appear to influence survival. This study, together with other reports, does not support the use of immunotherapy in advanced melanoma. Immunotherapy for early melanoma is still to be assessed.
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PMID:The survival of patients with malignant melanoma receiving BCG with or without chemotherapy. 28 74

After considering general preliminary immunological aspects, the author discuss the "transfer factor" of Lawrence (TF) which is one of the lymphokines that are produced by the thymus-dependent lymphocytes (LT). This factor whose nature and the probable constituent fractions are also considered, is the initiator of the cellular immunity. In immunodeficiencies, the LT should be stimulated by introducing the TF in the organism (immunotherapy). The possible use of other immunostimulating substances, which could replace the TF (levamisole BCG, thymosine), is also presented. Finally the author emphasize the large perspectives in the use of these factors in Ophthalmology: herpes, uveitis, melanoma, primary retinitis pigmentosa etc.).
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PMID:["Transfer factor" in ophthalmology (author's transl)]. 30 78

According to Clark there are three different types of melanoma: malignant melanoma which develops from the floor of a precancerous melanosis, the extensive superficial melanoma and nodular malignant melanoma. Therapeutically, surgery occupies the first place. Chemotherapeutically the combination of 3 or 4 different substances has given favorable results. Immunotherapeutically, immunization with BCG and mycobacteria, especially Cornyebacterium parvum, is considered the most reliable and least dangerous procedure. Altogether, a better prognosis for malignant melanoma can be expected in the future if diagnosis is made early and if treated with an optimum combination therapy.
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PMID:[Treatment of malignant melanoma (author's transl)]. 30 28

20 patients with malignant melanoma in clinical stage I and II and 10 controls were examined by means of the PHA-lymphocyte-stimulation-test as by the sheep red cell rosette formation for T-cells and by the mouse red cell rosette formation for B-cells at the beginning of a non-specific immunotherapy with BCG. Mean values of both the PHA stimulation indices and the circulating T-cells and B-cells did not show any significant differences in patients with malignant melanoma compared to the control group. The relatively wide range of values was striking, especially in patients with malignant melanoma in clinical stage II. Thus cross-section studies concerning the immunology of patients with malignant melanoma are thought to be less evident for the clinician than immunologic studies of the course of disease in the individual patient.
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PMID:[Immune profile in melanoma patients. I. PHA--stimulation of circulating lymphocytes and number of T- and B-lymphocytes (author's transl)]. 31 Feb 89

Documentation of the seventeenth case of melanoma of the rectum is presented. The world literature is reviewed. The effectiveness of immunotherapy with BCG or BCG in combination with CCNU and DTIC remains to be established.
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PMID:Malignant melanoma of the rectal ampulla: report of a case and review of the literature. 31 82

The chemotactic responsiveness of peripheral blood monocytes was studied before and after immunotherapy was administered to 56 patients with melanoma. Abnormal chemotaxis was found in 36 patients (64%) prior to treatment; this abnormality correlated with severity of disease and prognosis. Immunotherapy with BCG and sensitized autologous lymphocytes and X-irradiated melanoma cells or surgical removal of the neoplasm both reduced the percentage of patients with abnormal chemotactic responses. The best prognosis was found for those patients who had normal chemotaxis prior to therapy. The data support the hypothesis that abnormalities of monocyte function might render the host less likely to destroy developing neoplasms and that malignant tumors themselves might affect monocyte function.
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PMID:Abnormalitieis of monocyte chemotaxis in patients with melanoma: effects of immunotherapy and tumor removal. 31 43

The prognosis for patients who undergo surgery for stage IIB malignant melanoma is poor. Animal studies have suggested that BCG and tumour cell vaccines given together may provide effective immunotherapy. To assess the effectiveness of this treatment 15 patients with stage IIB malignant melanoma who had their tumour excised were studied. Seven were treated conservatively, and eight were vaccinated with BCG and autologous irradiated cells. Three vaccinated patients suffered widespread recurrence within three months. All four vaccinated patients who suffered a recurrence within the first year died, while none of the three controls with recurrent disease died. In view of this alarming trend the trial was stopped after a year. BCG and the tumour cells may have enhanced the tumour growth, although there was no apparent reason for this. The results of uncontrolled or unrandomised trials that have suggested that this treatment is beneficial should be treated with scepticism.
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PMID:Controlled trial of active immunotherapy in management of stage IIB malignant melanoma. 32 Oct 67

A review of our experience using BCG immunotherapy as a postsurgical adjunct in the treatment of melanoma shows that the incidence of systemic metastases appears to have been reduced. However, central nervous system (CNS) metastases continue to develop in these patients and represent the single most frequent cause of death. Serial studies of immune competence in these patients reveal that those with CNS metastases usually retain normal immune responses, whereas those with metastases at other sites exhibit progressive immunosuppression with advancing disease.
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PMID:Failure of adjuvant immunotherapy to prevent central nervous system metastases in malignant melanoma patients. 32 99


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