Spontaneous Remissions in Cancer

  • January 7, 2018

Spontaneous remissions and curesSpontaneous Remissions – when cancer seemingly goes away by itself, is an important phenomenon because it suggests that the body can heal itself of this disease. The technical definition of spontaneous remission of cancer (SR) is “a complete or partial, temporary or permanent disappearance of all or at least some relevant parameters of a soundly diagnosed malignant disease without any medical treatment or with treatment that is considered inadequate to produce the resulting regression.”(1)

Although it is a rare event, there is a long history of SR. In fact, the alleged miraculous cure of a painful cancer of the foot that occurred near the end of the 13th century made that patient later known as St. Peregrinus, patron saint of cancer patients.

Spontaneous Remissions Documented

Over the last one hundred years, SR has been widely documented in the professional literature. Authors Brendan O’Regan and Caryle Hirshberg extensively searched the world’s medical literature for SR and selected 1,051 cancer references for their annotated bibliography on the subject.(2)

While SR has been documented in nearly every cancer, nearly two thirds of all SR apparently occur in just a few types of malignancies: malignant melanoma, renal cell cancer, low-grade non-Hodgkins’s lymphoma (NHL), chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) and neuroblastoma in children.(3)

Nonetheless, a recent literature search by Cancer Monthly revealed that SR do occur in vastly different types of cancers. For example, a search of journals in the last 12 months alone revealed articles with these titles:

· “Spontaneous cure of a pelvic malignant tumor. Thus, never loose hope.”(4)

· “Disease regression in malignant melanoma: spontaneous resolution or a result of treatment with antioxidants, green tea, and pineapple cores? A case report.”(5)

· “Spontaneous regression of hepatocellular carcinoma: potential promise for the future.”(6)

· “Spontaneous regression in recurrent epithelial ovarian cancer.”(7)

Spontaneous Remissions – Why Do We Know So Little?

How and why do SR occur? Today, we have clues to how this may work, but unfortunately more research is needed.

Like many cancer issues that are outside the mainstream, the very existence of SR represents a threat to some in the cancer industry. According to one researcher, “Many scientists are still reluctant to focus their attention on SR. They may fear to jeopardize their academic reputation when dealing with a topic which is often found in stories of the yellow press and pamphlets propagating unconventional cancer therapies.”(8)

But as the same researcher points out, such anomalies can pave the way to a better understanding of the causes of cancer which can then lead to rational therapies. “But science learns from reflection on anomalies which help to change paradigms. Historical observations of spontaneous remissions of breast cancer after the onset of menopause lead to approaches of hormonal treatment which nowadays are a mainstay of adjuvant and palliative therapy in breast cancer.”(9)

Even though many scientists are hesitant to examine this important phenomenon, some research has suggested that SR may, in some cases, be the result of apoptosis or inflammatory necrosis following severe local infection.

Coley’s Toxins

One paper suggests that therapies like Coley’s Toxins may approximate what happens by chance in some cases of SR.(10) Coley’s Toxins are a mixture of various killed bacteria named after Dr. William Coley who invented this treatment at the end of the 1800’s. Coley’s Toxins are injected into affected tissue. After an injection, a high fever usually develops and cancer tissue may become necrotic, which then must be removed by drains. The injections are repeated. It has been reported that Coley’s Toxins has resulted in a complete remissions in 1,200 advanced cancer patients (a 22% rate) including 30 patients reported to be cured.(11)

Conclusion

Whatever the biological mechanisms, SR represent an important clue as to how the body can defend itself against cancer. Researchers should take a renewed look at this important phenomenon and rather than see it as a threat to their conventional therapies appreciate the insight it may provide to rational approaches to cancer treatment.

Endnotes:

(1) Kappauf H, et al., Complete spontaneous remission in a patient with metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer. Case report, review of the literature, and discussion of possible biological pathways involved. Annals of Oncology 1997 Oct;8(10):1031-9.

(2) Brendan O’Regan and Caryle Hirshberg – Spontaneous Remission: An Annotated Bibliography, June 1993.

(3) Kappauf H, et al., Complete spontaneous remission in a patient with metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer. Case report, review of the literature, and discussion of possible biological pathways involved. Annals of Oncology 1997 Oct;8(10):1031-9.

(4) Malaret GE., Spontaneous cure of a pelvic malignant tumor. Thus, never loose hope. Bol Asoc Med P R. 2007 Jan-Mar;99(1):44-5.

(5) Michael A, et al., Disease regression in malignant melanoma: spontaneous resolution or a result of treatment with antioxidants, green tea, and pineapple cores? A case report., Integr Cancer Ther. 2007 Mar;6(1):77-9.

(6) Vardhana HG and Panda M., Spontaneous regression of hepatocellular carcinoma: potential promise for the future. South Med J. 2007 Feb;100(2):223-4.

(7) Fujiwaki R and Sawada K. Spontaneous regression in recurrent epithelial ovarian cancer. Arch Gynecol Obstet. 2007 May;275(5):389-91. Epub 2006 Dec 20.

(8) Kappauf HW., Spontaneous remission of cancer – enigma and paradigm. Onkologie. 2006 Apr;29(4):129-30. Epub 2006 Mar 29.

(9) Kappauf HW., Spontaneous remission of cancer – enigma and paradigm. Onkologie. 2006 Apr;29(4):129-30. Epub 2006 Mar 29.

(10) Kappauf H, et al., Complete spontaneous remission in a patient with metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer. Case report, review of the literature, and discussion of possible biological pathways involved. Annals of Oncology 1997 Oct;8(10):1031-9.

(11) Kappauf H, et al., Complete spontaneous remission in a patient with metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer. Case report, review of the literature, and discussion of possible biological pathways involved. Annals of Oncology 1997 Oct;8(10):1031-9.

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