Treatment Of Patients With Metastatic Melanoma Using Recombinant Vaccinia And Fowlpox Viruses Encoding The Tyrosine Antigen In Combination With Interleukin-2

OBJECTIVES:

• Determine the response rate (partial response or complete remission) in patients with metastatic melanoma treated with vaccinia-tyrosinase vaccine, fowlpox-tyrosinase vaccine, and high-dose interleukin-2.
• Determine the immunologic response, measured by the reactivity of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells and serum immunoglobulins against tyrosinase and melanoma cells, in patients treated with this regimen.

OUTLINE: Patients receive vaccinia-tyrosinase vaccine intramuscularly (IM) on day 1 followed by fowlpox-tyrosinase vaccine IM on days 15 and 29. Patients then receive high-dose interleukin-2 (IL-2) IV over 15 minutes every 8 hours beginning on day 30 for up to 12 doses and again beginning approximately 3 weeks after the initial dose. Patients with stable disease or a minor, mixed, or partial response may receive additional courses of fowlpox-tyrosinase vaccine (2 doses) and IL-2 as above in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Patients with a complete response (CR) receive 1 additional course beyond achieving CR.

Patients are followed annually for at least 5 years.

PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 19-35 patients will be accrued for this study within 2 years.