New approaches to the chemotherapy of melanoma

Several new investigational agents have shown some promise in the treatment of patients with disseminated melanoma. While earlier studies of combination chemotherapy led to increased toxicity without improved anti-tumor effect, more recent combination regimens have produced responses up to 50%. One of these is a dose-intensification regimen using high-dose cisplatin and the chemoprotective drug WR-2721. Other treatments under study include autologous bone marrow transplantation plus thiotepa, a combination regimen of chemotherapy and interferon, and newer agents such as taxol, tauromustine, and detrorubicin.