Monroe S. Samuels

Immunotherapy of malignant disease: The use of viable sensitized lymphocytes or transfer factor prepared from sensitized lymphocytes

Therapeutic studies with cross‐transplant cross‐transfusion were begun in 1966 and have included 56 patients with melanoma, 2 with renal cell carcinoma, 3 with osteogenic sarcoma, 2 with colon cancer, and 1 with synovial sarcoma. Minced fragments of viable tumor were implanted subcutaneously into ABO‐Rh matched pairs with similar tumor on days 1 and 10, followed on the 14th day by 3–10 daily cross‐transfusions of plasma and white blood cells. Subsequently, intradermal implants of viable tumor cells grown in tissue culture have been used, some with added BCG. Complete responses have occurred in 3 patients with melanoma lasting 12, 46, and 51 months; the latter 2 remain alive and well. Partial response occurred in 6 others. Three melanoma patients with a poor prognosis were immunized prophylactically following primary surgical treatment. These 3 developed antibodies (shown by flourescence) against their tumor and remained free of disease—1 for 2 years and 2 for 1 year. Complications have mainly resulted from transfusion incompatibility. Transfer factor is now being used to avoid this problem. Two patients died following the seventh transfusion from complications probably related to treatment.

Urine homovanillic acid and tissue dopa oxidase in patients with melanoma.

The urinary content of homovanillic acid (HVA) and tumor dopa oxidase activities was studied in 169 patients with malignant melanoma. There was good agreement between the tumor dopa oxidase activity and urine HVA level in the same patient, considering the actual volume of tumor present is not taken into consideration. However, there was poor agreement in many instances when either urine HVA or tumor dopa oxidase alone was compared to the clinical condition. Cancer 33:1601–1606, 1974.

Arylsulphatase and the melanin pigment cell cycle

Abstract 1. 1. Tumour arylsulphatase and DOPA oxidase activities from patients with malignant melanomas were measured and correlated with the degree of pigmentation. 2. 2. Liver arylsulphatase activities from poikilothermic vertebrates were measured and correlated with the liver melanin pigment cell cycle. 3. 3. A direct relationship was suggested between liver pigment content and arylsulphatase.