Combination chemotherapy with 1-methyl-1-nitrosourea and cyclophosphamide in metastatic melanoma

Twenty one patients with advanced metastatic melanoma were treated with a combination of 1-methyl-1-nitrosourea (MNU) and cyclophosphamide. All the patients had not previously been treated with cytostatics. MNU in the dose of 4 mg/kg and cyclophosphamide in the dose of 8 mg/kg body weight was administered daily. The drugs were given in 6 day cycles. Objective response (greater than 50% tumor regression) was obtained in 8 (38%) of the 21 treated patients, with 2 complete and 6 partial remissions. The duration of remission was 2--12 months (M = 6.2 months). Injections of MNU caused nausea and vomiting in approximately all the treated patients. Combination of these drugs, however, produced myelodepression in 33% of treated patients. This combination of drugs showed antitumor activity in metastatic malignant melanoma, particularly in melanoma metastasis of the lung, brain and lymph nodes and needs further investigation.