title: Effective chemotherapy for melanoma after treatment with interleukin-2.
abstract: Twenty patients with biopsy-proven metastatic malignant melanoma, previously treated with interleukin-2 (IL-2), received combination chemotherapy for progressive disease. Treatment included carmustine, cisplatin, dacarbazine, and tamoxifen (BCDT). Nausea was the most common toxicity (100%) and usually was mild. Persistent thrombocytopenia was the most frequent toxicity limiting further treatment. Eleven patients (55%) had an objective partial response, three patients (15%) had a minor response, and six patients (30%) had no change or progressive disease in response to this treatment. These results were comparable to the high response rates (21 of 40, 53%) achieved with BCDT in previously untreated patients with melanoma. It was concluded that prior therapy using IL-2 does not significantly alter the response rate of metastatic melanoma to BCDT, thus suggesting that immunomodulators (e.g., IL-2) and chemotherapeutic agents are not cross-resistant treatments.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, Illinois.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Richards
authors.forename: T A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Gilewski
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ramming
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Mitchel
authors.forename: L L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Doane
authors.forename: N J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Vogelzang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002330:Carmustine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D002945:Cisplatin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D003606:Dacarbazine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000556:secondary* / Q000628:therapy*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012074:Remission Induction; D013629:Tamoxifen / Q000008:administration & dosage
chemical_list: D007376:Interleukin-2; D013629:Tamoxifen; D003606:Dacarbazine; D002945:Cisplatin; D002330:Carmustine