Melphalan in the Treatment of Myelomatosis

This paper reports the results of 33 months' trial of melphalan (p-di-(2-chloroethyl)amino-L-phenylalanine; " alkeran ") in the treatment of myelomatosis. This aromatic nitrogen mustard was synthesized by Bergel and Stock (1953). The racemic form, merphalan (sarcolysin), was synthesized in Moscow (Larionov, Khokhlov, Shkodinskaja, Vasina, Troosheikina, and Novikova, 1955). The trial started in December 1959, and 20 patients were first treated between that date and 1 March 1962. This report includes observations made up to 1 September 1962, when seven patients had died. The shortest possible period of follow-up was thus six months. Three cases (Nos. 2, 3, and 13) have been reported elsewhere (Swan, 1962).