COMBINATION CYTO-TOXIC CHEMOTHERAPY WITH PROCARBAZINE, VINCRISTINE, AND LOMUSTINE (POC) IN DISSEMINATED MALIGNANT-MELANOMA - 8 YEARS FOLLOW-UP

  • 1 January 1984
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 68  (10) , 1211-1214
Abstract
Forty-four consecutive ambulatory patients (24 male, 20 female; median age, 56 yr [range, 21-76]) with evaluable disseminated malignant melanoma (stages III/IV) were entered in this study from Oct. 1, 1975 to July 21, 1980 (last follow-up, Oct. 31, 1983); they were treated with procarbazine (100 mg/m2 orally; maximum dose, 150 mg) on days 1-10, vincristine (1.4 mg/m2 i.v.; maximum dose, 2 mg) on days 1 and 8, and lomustine (150 mg/m2 orally; maximum dose, 200 mg) on day 1, repeated every 4-6 wk. Twenty-one patients (48%) showed objective responses; 11 of these (25%) were complete responses. Nine patients had received previous chemotherapy, but none were treated with the drugs used in this protocol. Responses were seen mainly in cutaneous and/or nodal sites and pulmonary metastases. The median duration of remission was 10 mo. and the median survival of responders was 21 mo. compared to 5 mo. for nonresponders. Four responding patients are still alive and in complete response for 70+, 83+, 94+, and 95+ mo., while 1 is alive, but in progression (83+ mo.). The toxicity of this regimen was clinically tolerable and hospitalization was not required. In the initial study the response was 60% (18 responses among 30 patients) and this regimen continues to have significant antitumor activity against disseminated malignant melanoma.

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