A phase II study of autologous irradiated tumor cells plus BCG in patients with metastatic malignant melanoma

Eighteen patients with surgically incurable metastatic malignant melanoma were treated with a mixture of irradiated (15,000 rads) autologous tumors cells (1-2 X 10(8)) and BCG (Glaxo, 2-4.5 X 10(6) organisms), which was injected intradermally (in five divided doses) every 2 weeks (X5). Four of 18 (22%) evaluable patients achieved objective remissions. It is concluded that this treatment regimen does not have general clinical application because the remissions were infrequent, of shor duration (median, 3 months) and occurred only in patients with minimal, nonvisceral tumor burdens.