Spontaneous remission may be partial or complete and may be temporary or permanent.
It’s unclear what triggers this phenomena.
However, many reports have linked spontaneous remission to certain types of infection or hormonal changes.
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This article discusses the potential causes of spontaneous remission, as well as how often it occurs.
There are over a thousand case studies in the literature.
Spontaneous remission has also been reported in breast cancer and lung cancer.
How Long Does Spontaneous Remission Last?
However, reports indicate it can last anywhere from a few months to years.
Further research is needed to get to clarify this hypothesis.
That said, spontaneous remission may be more common than we think.
What Causes Spontaneous Remission of Cancer?
Researchers are not entirely sure of the molecular basis behind spontaneous regression of cancer.
Theories range from spiritual reasons to immune causes.
That said, an immunologic basis could certainly make sense.
Infections often result in a fever and stimulation of the immune system.
We know that our immune systems have the ability to fight off cancer.
That is, in fact, the logic behind immunotherapy.
Hormonal Changes
Some cases of spontaneous remission may be triggered by hormonal changes.
This key in of remission has been linked to certain types of cancer, including breast and prostate cancers.
Researchers think this may have been related to the high levels of progesterone occurring during pregnancy.
A 69-year-old woman was found to havelung adenocarcinoma, a form ofnon-small cell lung cancer.
Her cancer had spread to her adrenal glandsadrenal metastasesand therefore, was labeled asstage IV non-small cell lung cancer.
Stage IV lung cancer is the most severe stage of the disease with the poorest survival rate.
She then underwent surgery for lung cancer and was doing well 14 months later.
She was determined to have stage 4 disease based on the International Neuroblastoma Staging System (INSS).
She was issued ado-not-resuscitate (DNR) orderand received no further treatment.
After being discharged from the hospital, the patient had regular follow-up visits.
Approximately 18 months later, a follow-up ultrasound showed the cancer had disappeared spontaneously.
Yet talking about the rare occurrence of spontaneous remission emphasizes something important for everyone living with cancer.
People Are Not Statistics
Statistics are numbers.
They tell us how the “average” person didin the pastduring treatment.
As our understanding of cancer increases, we also now recognize that no two cancers are alike.
Medicine has now acknowledged that these outliers should be closely examined rather than dismissed.
This approach has been confirmed as we better understand how cancer develops.
We now know that they work on people who have EGFR mutations in their tumor.
Further, those who don’t have the mutation aren’t subjected to a treatment that will be ineffective.
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Rashidi A, Fisher SI.Spontaneous remission of acute myeloid leukemia.Leukemia & Lymphoma.
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