First impressions of I.V. C. parvum in patients with solid tumours.

6 patients with solid tumours (4 malignant melanomas, one fibrosarcoma, one osteogenic sarcoma) received i.v. C. parvum alone or in combination therapy (radiotherapy, Levamisole and/or vitamin A). The single doses of C. parvum ranged from 5.0-7.5 mg/m2; No. of doses ranged from 1-8; interval between doses ranged from 2-140 days. 2 patients with malignant melanoma had no measurable disease, one of them (stage I) still has no evidence of disease. The patient with fibrosarcoma appeared to have a minor decrease in size of some of the lung metastases for a short time (ca 4 weeks), but soon progressed as well as the other 4 patients. Except for the one patients still having no evidence of disease the other 5 are dead of disease. Survival time did not appear to correlate either with systemic reaction to C. parvum or with No. of doses of C. parvum. The one minor response was observed in a patient receiving a total of 8 doses; but response was seen already after 3 doses, and progression occurred after 6 doses. So this change of lung metastases might have been unrelated to this therapy. Summarizing, there was no evident anti-tumour effect observed after i.v. C. parvum in these patients with solid tumours.