[Results of a randomized polychemotherapy study in malignant melanoma]

A polychemotherapy (DTIC, vincristine, ftorafur, hydroxycarbamide) devised with reference to the results of short-term sensitivity tests in cell culture is compared with single-agent chemotherapy with DTIC in malignant melanoma. Effectiveness was investigated in a randomized prospective study in cases of high-risk melanoma in clinical stage I, in clinical stage II after lymphadenectomy and in clinical stage III after tumour debulking. The results recorded allow no positive effects of either form of chemotherapy in stage I disease compared with surgical treatment only in a control group. In contrast, a statistically significant advantage of the polychemotherapy was noted in stage II compared with a control group. There was no significant difference in the results of treatment between the two forms of chemotherapy in stage III. No complete remissions of long duration have been achieved.