More on Vitiligo and Malignant Melanoma-Reply

In Reply.— We are pleased to note that Dr Paslin agrees with us on a number of important points regarding the association of melanomas and vitiligo, such as: (1) Vitiligo and melanomas occur together and the association seems to portend a good prognosis for most patients, ie, a long interval of time will pass before the melanoma recurs. (2) Melanomas induce an immune response that on occasion can cause regression of a primary or metastatic tumor and also induce vitiligo. The same immune response, which Paslin notes occasionally causes regression of a primary or metastatic tumor and indirectly induces vitiligo, could just as easily delay the reappearance of the metastasis after excision of the primary. We take exception to several critical points. Paslin originally noted that the parenteral injection of phenolic agents failed to retard the growth of melanomas in mice.1Therefore, he concluded that the application of such