Should vitiligo be induced in patients after resection of primary melanoma

New Perspectives on the Role of Vitiligo in Immune Responses to Melanoma

“…In 1977, Lerner and Nordlund suggested that vitiligo should be induced in patients after resection of primary melanoma, and further proposed the use of melanocytotoxic compounds such as monobenzone [19, 81]. Monobenzone therapy was in fact used on a small cohort of late-stage melanoma patients in 1986 and, while 11 out of 17 treated patients had complete responses, their vitiligo status was not reported [82].…”

Vitiligo: The Loss of Pigment in Skin, Hair and Eyes

“…Meningeal irritation melanoma cells, why not use that information to the advantage of other patients with melanomas? Studies on patients with early melanomas should be done to find out whether or not the induction of depigmentation resulting from the application of depigmenting chemicals to the skin would evoke an immunologic response sufficient to contain the relatively small number of melanoma cells already released into the body (6). That is, can the spread of a melanoma be delayed or inhibited by inducing vitiligo early iIi patients with small melanomas?…”

Antigenicity of premelanosomes and melanoma cytotoxic activity demonstrated by spleen mononuclear cells of melanoma-bearing hamster

“…Lerner reported that in a selected group of the patients with melanoma, the incidence of vitiligo was more than 2O'\, (Lerner & Nordlund, 1978). He further stated that vitiligo presaged for the host a prolonged remission after removal of the melanoma (Lerner & Nordlund, 1977). In patients with melanoma, the formation of vitiligo has probably been associated with a vigorous immune response in an attempt by the body to destroy malignant pigment cells.…”