title: Possible allogeneic graft-versus-tumor effect in childhood melanoma.
abstract: Patients with metastatic melanoma have a very poor prognosis despite contemporary biochemotherapy. A 14-year-old girl with stage IV melanoma and brain metastasis received a nonmyeloablative conditioning and a hematopoietic graft from an HLA-identical sibling. She had progression of disease in the first 2 months after transplantation. After withdrawal of immunosuppressant and establishment of a full donor chimeric status, peripheral disease response was documented by regression of metastatic disease and lack of tumor progression until 1 year after transplantation. She died of progressive disease 21 months after diagnosis and 17 months after transplantation. Her clinical course suggested the possible existence of an allogeneic graft-versus-melanoma response that prolonged her survival.
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology/Oncology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee 38105, USA.
authors.forename: Kimberly A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Kasow
authors.forename: Rupert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Handgretinger
authors.forename: Matthew J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Krasin
authors.forename: Alberto S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Pappo
authors.forename: Wing
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Leung
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary / Q000628:therapy; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D005260:Female; D006085:Graft Survival; D020350:Graft vs Tumor Effect; D006801:Humans; D008545:Melanoma / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D036102:Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplantation; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous; D014185:Transplantation, Isogeneic