title: Relationship between immune response to melanoma vaccine immunization and clinical outcome in stage II malignant melanoma.
abstract: The authors investigated whether there was a relationship between the induction of a delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) response to melanoma vaccine immunization and disease recurrence. They studied prospectively 94 evaluable patients with surgically resected Stage II malignant melanoma who were immunized to a partially purified, polyvalent, melanoma antigen vaccine. The DTH response to skin tests to the vaccine was measured before treatment and at the fourth vaccine immunization. Vaccine treatment induced a strong DTH response in 29 (31%) patients, an intermediate response in 24 (25%), and no response in 41 (44%). The median disease-free survival (DFS) of patients with a strong, intermediate, and no DTH response to vaccine immunization was more than 72 months, 24 months, and 15 months, respectively. The relationship between an increase in the DTH response and a prolonged DFS was statistically significant (P = 0.02); clinically meaningful (the median DFS of patients with a strong DTH response was 4.7 years longer than that of nonresponders); and, by multivariate analysis, independent of disease severity or overall immune competence. These findings suggest, but do not prove, that vaccine treatment can slow the progression of melanoma in some patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, New York University School of Medicine, NY 10016.
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Bystryn
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Oratz
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Roses
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Harris
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Henn
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lew
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D006968:Hypersensitivity, Delayed / Q000276:immunology; D007167:Immunotherapy; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000276:immunology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000276:immunology; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D012882:Skin Tests; D015996:Survival Rate; D016896:Treatment Outcome