Effective palliation of melanoma with procarbazine and radiotherapy given by a low-dose fractionation schedule.

Twenty-one patients with metastatic melanoma were treated synchronously with procarbazine and radiotherapy. The radiotherapy was given using a conventional fractional dose schedule of 45 Gy in 20 fractions. Twenty-three lesions were treated, of which 11 (47%) regressed completely and four (17%) regressed partially. Patients who responded to treatment had a median survival of 17 months and experienced relief of symptoms. Treatment was well tolerated. The results demonstrate that many patients with unresectable deposits of melanoma can obtain worthwhile palliation from radiation therapy without the use of large fractional dose schedules. There was no evidence that procarbazine exerted a cytotoxic effect on lesions which were not irradiated.