An Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group phase I-II pilot study of polyriboinosinic-polyribocytidylic acid poly-L-lysine complex in patients with metastatic malignant melanoma.

Sixteen patients with metastatic malignant melanoma were treated with poly(I,C)-LC 5 mg/m2 twice weekly by intravenous injection. No antitumor responses occurred. Fever (frequently greater than 40 degrees C) and fatigue were dose limiting toxicities. One patient developed a fever of 42.2 degrees C when poly(I,C)-LC was given on 2 consecutive days. Interferon was consistently detected in the serum 8 h after a single injection of poly(I,C)-LC (median titer 199 U/ml). No enhancement of interferon induction was detected on the second day when poly(I,C)-LC was given on 2 consecutive days.