Inflammatory tumor response to monoclonal antibody infusion.

Two patients with melanoma and one with apudoma, all three with metastatic disease, received monoclonal antibody infusions with mAb R-24, specific for the disialoganglioside GD3. This marker was shown to be restricted to melanoma cells and a few other tumors of neural crest origin. Following treatment with mAb R-24 both melanoma patients showed inflammatory cutaneous responses around tumor nodules, i.e. blister formation or inflammatory perinodular halos. Local pain in bulky intestinal tumor sites occurred in all three patients about 3 hr after onset of antibody infusion. Adverse side-effects of antibody application were not observed with antibody doses up to 200 mg (single) and 440 mg total dose. The presented data indicate that mAb R-24 is active in vivo.