Tamoxifen in metastatic malignant melanoma.

Eight patients with advanced metastatic malignant melanoma were treated with tamoxifen at a dose of 10 mg orally twice a day for a minimum of 4 weeks. There was one complete response of skin disease occurring over a period of 40 weeks. This patient has remained disease-free for 8+ weeks. Two other patients demonstrated a partial but brief (4 weeks) shrinkage of gross subcutaneous disease. Three patients exhibited no response to the drug, but two patients had rapid acceleration of disease between the second and fourth weeks of treatment. Further exploration of the basis for these favorable and adverse responses is being pursued.