Treatment results of metastatic malignant melanoma of the skin have failed to exhibit significant improvement for 30 years. Owing to the poor efficiency of cytotoxic therapies, attention has focused on the patient's own immune system and its strengthening or "teaching" to counteract the melanoma tissue. The most significant forms of immunotherapy currently include the interferons, interleukin-2 and antibody therapy directed against a specific T-lymphocyte associated antigen (CTLA-4). So far, therapeutic vaccines for melanoma have not ended up into routine clinical use.