A new polyvalent melanoma cell vaccine (MCV) was administered to 136 stage IIIA and IV (American Joint Committee on Cancer) melanoma patients. Induction of cell-mediated and humoral immune responses to common melanoma-associated antigens present on autologous melanoma cells was observed in patients receiving the new MCV. This was accompanied by increased activation of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes. Survival correlated significantly with delayed cutaneous hypersensitivity (p = 0.0066) and antibody responses to MCV (p = 0.0117). Of 40 patients with evaluable disease, nine (23%) had regressions (three complete). From our historical database of 126 stage IIIA and 1275 stage IV melanoma patients, there were no significant changes in the natural history of metastatic melanoma during the past 20 years. Univariate and multivariate analyses demonstrated prognostic significance for site of metastases (p = 0.0001) and immunotherapy with the new MCV (p = 0.0001). Overall our new MCV increased the median and 5-year survival of stage IIIA melanoma patients with regional soft tissue metastases twofold (p = 0.00024), and stage IV patients threefold (p = 0.0001) compared with previous immunotherapy and other treatments.
In vitro cellular immune response to Canvaxin cells directly correlates with survival after subsequent initiation of immunotherapy for AJCC stage III melanoma. This finding will be evaluated in a multicenter phase III trial of Canvaxin plus bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) versus placebo plus BCG after resection of stage III melanoma.
When 10–5 to 10-7M all-trans retinoic acid (RA) was added to human thymocyte or tonsil lymphocyte cultures in the presence of mitogens or allogeneic stimulator cells, blastogenesis was increased up to 2.5-fold. No augmentation in proliferative responses of peripheral blood or spleen lymphocytes was observed. In the thymus, lymphocytes in the subclass of cells that did not bind peanut agglutinin (PNA) were responsible for the RA-induced enhancement. RA also increased the number of mitogen-stimulated thymocyte colonies developing in soft agar. These results indicate that the targets of RA activity must be lymphoid cells at a later stage of maturation than those identified by binding to PNA, and that one mechanism of RA enhancement is an increase in the number of lymphocytes that undergo blast transformation.
PMCV therapy greatly enhances serum CDC against melanoma cells. This enhancement is directly correlated with DFS following initiation of vaccine therapy.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.