[Studies on the immune status of melanoma patients: cell-mediated immune reactions in intracutaneous and epicutaneous tests in the lymphocyte transformation test and the leukocyte-migration inhibition test before and during BCG immunotherapy (author's transl)]

Abstract

Active immunotherapy with BCG was carried out postoperatively in 22 patients with malignant melanoma. At the beginning and 6 months after treatment cell-mediated immune reactions were checked by both in vivo tests (intracutaneous test with tuberculin and patchtest with DNCB) and in vitro tests (lymphocyte stimulation and leukocyte migration inhibition with tuberculin and DNCB). The results have shown that stimulation of immune response may be obtained by systemic BCG therapy.