Autopsy slides from 22 melanoma patients who received bacille Calmette-Guerin BC'G immunotherapy and who had a postmortem examination at the U C L A Center for the Health Sciences were examined for the presence o f granulomas. Granulomas were found i n six patients (29%) who received BCX but not in a group o f 25 melanoma patients who did not have BCC immunotherapy. A number o f Factors were tested for correlation with the presence o f granulomas in the autopsy material. Fifty-five percent o f the patients who received BCG by both intralesional and tine technique" developed granulomas. No patients given BCG by the tine technique alone developed granulomas. No correlation was found between granulomas and the presence o f symptoms after the administration o f RC'G, the duration o f RC'C immunotherapy, the patient's age, the number of BCG administrations, treatment with immunosuppressive agents, the length o f survival after the last BCG administration, the presence o f a positive PPD reaction, a positive history for granuloma-forming diseases and tests for immunocompetence. However, these results provide evidence that the route o f RCG administration strongly influences the frequency o f granulomas in melanoma patients who received BCG immunotherapy.
Cancer 49:55-60, 1982. AC'ILLt-. CALMt..7.TI:-GUERIN (BCG), an attenuated B Mycobacterium derived from a strain of bovine tubercle bacilli, is essentially avirulent in man. I t was developed in I9 I0 for use as a live vaccine for prophylaxis from tuberculosis and to date over 500 million persons have been vaccinated with it. When Morton e/ a/." and other investigators"'.20 in human systems and Zbar and associates" in animal systems demonstrated that intralesional BCG could induce tumor regression and stimulate tumor immunity, it became an adjuvant i in ni u not he rapeu t ic agent in many t u nior treat men t protocols. The incidence of complications following BCG vaccinittion for prevention of pulmonary tuberculosis is quite low. LocaliLed abscesses' and regional lymphad-enitis4 are the most frequent sequelae. Other rare complications have included systemic infection^,^
pulmonary tubercul~sis,'~ visceral gran~lornas,~ osteo-I-roin the I)ivisioil of Oncology, Ikpartinents of Surgery and Pathology. IJC'1.A School of Medicine. University of California. 1.0s