title: Long-term survival and outcome of patients originally given Mycobacterium vaccae for metastatic malignant melanoma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The long-term prognosis of patients with stage IV AJCC melanoma is extremely poor. We have previously published short-term clinical outcome and immunological responses to a heat killed Mycobacterium vaccae-based vaccine.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In this study we report on a better than expected long-term survival (3-y DSS 29·6%, 5-y, and 7-y DSS both 23·9%) relative to historical controls in the patients who received the vaccine in these trials, published in 1999 and 2003. Although the complete or partial response was only 10%, it was the remarkable response to other interventions upon relapse, such as surgery and radiotherapy followed by stable disease that was previously unexpected.
  
  
  METHODS
  We reviewed the outcome of 72 patients who were treated with M. vaccae for metastatic melanoma between January 1996 and July 2004.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Given this remarkable outcome in stage IV metastatic melanoma and its lack of toxicity we propose that this would make a promising candidate for randomized trials for stage III fully resected melanoma.
authors.affiliation: Division of Clinical Sciences; St George's University of London; Tooting, London, UK.
authors.forename: Ferdinando C M
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Cananzi
authors.forename: Satvinder
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mudan
authors.forename: Mary
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dunne
authors.forename: Nneka
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Belonwu
authors.forename: Angus G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Dalgleish
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D019496:Cancer Vaccines / Q000276:immunology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000628:therapy*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009161:Mycobacterium / Q000276:immunology*; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis / Q000628:therapy*; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D016019:Survival Analysis; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D015164:Vaccines, Inactivated / Q000276:immunology / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D019496:Cancer Vaccines; D015164:Vaccines, Inactivated
keywords: long-term survival; mycobacterial vaccine; stage IV melanoma