Biomaterial Database

Granulomas in melanoma patients treated with BCG immunotherapy. 1982

C Hatzitheofilou, and D F Obenchain, and D D Porter, and D L Morton

Autopsy slides from 22 melanoma patients who received bacille Calmette-Guérin BCG immunotherapy and who had a postmortem examination at the UCLA Center for the Health Sciences were examined for the presence of granulomas. Granulomas were found in six patients (29%) who received BCG but not in a group of 25 melanoma patients who did not have BCG immunotherapy. A number of factors were tested for correlation with the presence of granulomas in the autopsy material. Fifty-five percent of the patients who received BCG by both intralesional and time technique developed granulomas. No patients given BCG by the tine technique alone developed granulomas. No correlation was found between granulomas and the presence of symptoms after the administration of BCG, the duration of BCG immunotherapy, the patient's age, the number of BCG administrations, treatment with immunosuppressive agents, the length of survival after the last BCG administration, the presence of a positive PPD reaction, a positive history for granuloma-forming diseases and tests for immunocompetence. However, these results provide evidence that the route of BCG administration strongly influences the frequency of granulomas in melanoma patients who received BCG immunotherapy.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008171	Lung Diseases	Pathological processes involving any part of the LUNG.	Pulmonary Diseases,Disease, Pulmonary,Diseases, Pulmonary,Pulmonary Disease,Disease, Lung,Diseases, Lung,Lung Disease
D008545	Melanoma	A malignant neoplasm derived from cells that are capable of forming melanin, which may occur in the skin of any part of the body, in the eye, or, rarely, in the mucous membranes of the genitalia, anus, oral cavity, or other sites. It occurs mostly in adults and may originate de novo or from a pigmented nevus or malignant lentigo. Melanomas frequently metastasize widely, and the regional lymph nodes, liver, lungs, and brain are likely to be involved. The incidence of malignant skin melanomas is rising rapidly in all parts of the world. (Stedman, 25th ed; from Rook et al., Textbook of Dermatology, 4th ed, p2445)	Malignant Melanoma,Malignant Melanomas,Melanoma, Malignant,Melanomas,Melanomas, Malignant
D011336	Probability	The study of chance processes or the relative frequency characterizing a chance process.	Probabilities
D006099	Granuloma	A relatively small nodular inflammatory lesion containing grouped mononuclear phagocytes, caused by infectious and noninfectious agents.	Granulomas
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D001500	BCG Vaccine	An active immunizing agent and a viable avirulent attenuated strain of MYCOBACTERIUM BOVIS, which confers immunity to mycobacterial infections. It is used also in immunotherapy of neoplasms due to its stimulation of antibodies and non-specific immunity.	Bacillus Calmette Guerin Vaccine,Calmette Guerin Bacillus Vaccine,Calmette's Vaccine,Calmette Vaccine,Calmettes Vaccine,Vaccine, BCG,Vaccine, Calmette's
D012189	Retrospective Studies	Studies used to test etiologic hypotheses in which inferences about an exposure to putative causal factors are derived from data relating to characteristics of persons under study or to events or experiences in their past. The essential feature is that some of the persons under study have the disease or outcome of interest and their characteristics are compared with those of unaffected persons.	Retrospective Study,Studies, Retrospective,Study, Retrospective
D012878	Skin Neoplasms	Tumors or cancer of the SKIN.	Cancer of Skin,Skin Cancer,Cancer of the Skin,Neoplasms, Skin,Cancer, Skin,Cancers, Skin,Neoplasm, Skin,Skin Cancers,Skin Neoplasm
D013158	Splenic Diseases	Diseases involving the SPLEEN.	Disease, Splenic,Diseases, Splenic,Splenic Disease