Exhibit 99.1

                                [CANCERVAX LOGO]

COMPANY CONTACT:
Julie Ames                                      Vince Reardon
CancerVax Corporation                           CancerVax Corporation
Director, Corporate Communications              Sr. Director, Investor Relations
(760) 494-4252                                  (760) 494-4850

              CANCERVAX CORPORATION ADOPTS STOCKHOLDER RIGHTS PLAN

CARLSBAD, CA (November 4, 2004) - CancerVax Corporation (NASDAQ: CNVX), a
biotechnology company focused on the research, development and commercialization
of novel biological products for the treatment and control of cancer, today
announced that its Board of Directors has adopted a Stockholder Rights Plan (the
"Rights Plan"). The Rights Plan is intended to enable all CancerVax stockholders
to realize the long-term value of their investment in CancerVax. The Rights Plan
will not prevent a takeover, but should encourage anyone seeking to acquire
CancerVax to negotiate with the Board of Directors prior to attempting a
takeover. The Rights Plan will expire in 2014.

Pursuant to the Rights Plan, the CancerVax Board declared a dividend
distribution of one Preferred Share Purchase Right (a "Right") on each
outstanding share of CancerVax common stock. Subject to limited exceptions, the
Rights will be exercisable if a person or group acquires 15% or more of
CancerVax's common stock or announces a tender offer for 15% or more of the
common stock. Under certain circumstances, each Right will entitle stockholders
to buy one one-thousandth of a share of newly created Series A Junior
Participating Preferred Stock of CancerVax at an exercise price of $95. The
CancerVax Board will be entitled to redeem the Rights at $0.01 per Right at any
time before a person has acquired 15% or more of the outstanding common stock.

The Rights are not being distributed in response to any specific effort to
acquire control of CancerVax. The Rights are designed to assure that all
CancerVax stockholders receive fair and equal treatment in the event of any
proposed takeover of CancerVax and to guard against partial tender offers, open
market accumulations and other potentially abusive tactics to gain control of
CancerVax, while not foreclosing a fair acquisition bid for CancerVax.

If a person becomes an Acquiring Person, each Right will entitle its holder to
purchase, at the Right's then-current exercise price, a number of common shares
of CancerVax having a market value at that time of twice the Right's exercise
price, other than Rights held by the Acquiring Person which will become void and
will not be exercisable. An Acquiring Person is defined as a person who acquires
15% or more of the outstanding common stock of CancerVax, except as provided in
the Rights Plan. If CancerVax is acquired in a merger or other business
combination transaction that has not been approved by the Board of Directors,
each Right will entitle its holder to purchase, at the Right's then-current
exercise price, a number of the acquiring company's common shares having a
market value at that time of twice the Right's exercise price.

The dividend distribution to establish the new Rights Plan will be payable to
stockholders of record on November 15, 2004. The Rights will expire in ten
years. The Rights distribution is not taxable to stockholders.



ABOUT CANCERVAX CORPORATION (www.cancervax.com)

CancerVax Corporation is a biotechnology company focused on the research,
development and commercialization of novel biological products for the treatment
and control of cancer. CancerVax's lead product candidate, Canvaxin(TM), is one
of a new class of products being developed in the area of specific active
immunotherapy, also known as therapeutic cancer vaccines. Canvaxin(TM) is
currently being studied in two international Phase 3 clinical trials for the
treatment of patients with Stage III or Stage IV, or advanced-stage, melanoma.
In addition to Canvaxin(TM), CancerVax has licensed three specific active
immunotherapeutic product candidates targeting the epidermal growth factor
receptor signaling pathway, including SAI-EGF, which has been studied in Phase 2
clinical trials. CancerVax plans to identify and develop new product candidates
based on its proprietary specific active immunotherapy, anti-angiogenesis and
T-oligo, or telomere homolog oligonucleotide, technology. CancerVax's corporate
headquarters and research and development facility is located in Carlsbad,
Calif., and its biologics manufacturing facility is located in the Los Angeles
area.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

CancerVax cautions you that statements included in this press release that are
not a description of historical facts are forward-looking statements. These
forward-looking statements include statements regarding the benefits of the
Rights Plan and the ability of the Rights Plan to maximize stockholder value in
the event of a takeover of CancerVax. The inclusion of forward-looking
statements should not be regarded as a representation by CancerVax that any of
its plans will be achieved. Actual results may differ materially from those set
forth in this release due to the risks and uncertainties inherent in CancerVax's
business including, without limitation: discouragement or prevention of a change
of control of CancerVax; potential entrenchment of CancerVax's current
management; CancerVax's dependence on the success of its lead product candidate,
Canvaxin(TM); the progress, timing and success of its clinical trials of
Canvaxin(TM) and its other product candidates; the potential that results of
Phase 1 and 2 clinical trials of Canvaxin(TM), which were evaluated using
retrospective survival analyses that may be subject to potential selection
biases, may not be predictive of future results of CancerVax's ongoing Phase 3
clinical trials; the impact of government regulation, which may increase the
cost and uncertainty associated with gaining regulatory approval of Canvaxin(TM)
and its other product candidates; CancerVax's dependence on clinical
investigators and medical institutions to enroll patients in its clinical trials
and other third parties to perform related data collection and analysis, which
may increase costs or delay the completion of its clinical trials; difficulties
or delays in developing, testing, producing and marketing its technologies and
product candidates; unexpected adverse side effects or inadequate therapeutic
efficacy of its products that could delay or prevent product development or
commercialization, or that could result in recalls or product liability claims;
its ability to obtain additional financing to support its operations; and other
risks detailed in CancerVax's Securities and Exchange Commission filings,
including CancerVax's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended
December 31, 2003 and its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter
ended June 30, 2004. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these
forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. All
forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary
statement and CancerVax undertakes no obligation to revise or update this news
release to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof. This caution
is made under the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995.

CancerVax(R) is a registered trademark of CancerVax Corporation.

Canvaxin(TM) is a trademark of CancerVax Corporation.

# # #