Diagnosis of malignant melanoma with radiolabeled monoclonal antibodies: current status

Since the advent of the technique for preparation of monoclonal antibodies in 1975, these agents have been used in a variety of experimental procedures, including investigations into the structure of the human genome. The increasing availability of these highly specific antibodies has also spawned the development of kits for in vitro diagnosis of a number of diseases, and now radiolabeled monoclonal antibodies are undergoing clinical trials to assist in vivo diagnosis of several different cancers. We report our results in four representative cases comparing the efficacy of 111Indium-labeled antimelanoma, type 96.5, monoclonal antibodies against standard diagnostic imaging techniques at accurately diagnosing metastatic malignant melanoma lesions. In some cases the monoclonal antibody studies provided unequivocal evidence of the existence of metastases. In other cases no localization occurred, and we suggest plausible reasons for this failure and modifications of imaging technique to improve the performance. Overall, we believe monoclonal antibodies represent a promising new clinical aid in disease diagnosis which may ultimately permit direct targeting of therapeutic agents.