Immunotherapy for human malignant melanoma.

The status of immunotherapy up to 1972 for malignant melanoma in man is reviewed. The immunotherapeutic approaches used are based on the demonstration that man reacts to malignant melanoma antigens with both humoral and cell-mediated immunologic responses. Immunotherapy for human melanoma includes both specific and nonspecific approaches. In the former, tumor antigen, committed antimelanoma lymphocytes, or cytotoxic antimelanoma antibody are used. In nonspecific immunotherapy, an unrelated antigen (eg, BCG or smallpox vaccine) is used to provoke an immunologic response that results in tumor destruction. Although several promising approaches and mounting testimonials suggest that immunotherapy for human melanoma is feasible, the results to date are far from being uniformly successful. Nonetheless, the results are encouraging enough to warrant mounting a immunotherapeutic approach to this dreaded form of cancer.