Therapy for metastatic melanoma: effective combination of dacarbazine, carmustine, cisplatin and tamoxifen.
Thirty-two patients with metastatic melanoma received combination chemotherapy and hormonal therapy. Treatment included Carmustine, Cisplatin, Dacarbazine and Tamoxifen (BCDT). The overall response rate was 47%: five patients had a complete response (16%), 10 patients had a partial response (31%) and two had no response (6%). The median survival for responders was 10 months (range 2-20). The BCDT regimen was equally effective against soft tissue and visceral metastases. Neither survival or response rate was modified by pretreatment with alpha-interferon (alpha-IFN). In agreement with the results of a recent randomized trial comparing the efficacy of Dacarbazine with that of Dacarbazine plus Tamoxifen, a better survival was found in women than in men: although the response rate was identical (47%), the median duration of response was higher for women. A fall in serum soluble IL-2 receptor (sIL-2R) levels after therapy was seen in responding patients, confirming the usefulness of this parameter in monitoring disease evolution.
Clinica Dermatologica, Università di Torino, Italy.
M T
MT
Fierro
M
M
Bertero
M
M
Novelli
A
A
Appino
G C
GC
Doveil
S
S
Colonna
M G
MG
Bernengo
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002330:Carmustine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D002945:Cisplatin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D003606:Dacarbazine / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000556:secondary; D008875:Middle Aged; D012983:Soft Tissue Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary; D013629:Tamoxifen / Q000008:administration & dosage
D013629:Tamoxifen; D003606:Dacarbazine; D002945:Cisplatin; D002330:Carmustine