Edited by Amelia Gross.
Cancer. The throne of all sicknesses is a universal fear many of us share. The mere mention of it evokes an immediate association with death and despair. Cancer, as we know, is a disease caused by the uncontrolled growth of body cells. These cells can grow abnormally into tumours and spread throughout the body. For centuries, scientists and medical professionals have been in a relentless battle against it, testing out different treatment strategies to halt its progression or alleviate the debilitating effects it has on people. Just imagine a vaccine or a medication that can cure cancer were to be invented, the number of lives that could be saved would be uncountable and challenging the very concept of mortality.
Fortunately, miracles have unfolded across the globe and over the centuries. One such phenomenon is Spontaneous Remission, which defies conventional medical expectations. This so-called miracle leads to the inexplicable recovery of certain cancer patients without any treatment or therapy (Horino, T., Takao, T., Yamamoto, M., Geshi, T., & Hashimoto, K. 2006). This sporadic occurrence leads to a patient’s cancer regressing in an almost miraculous manner.
To understand this phenomenon, we must return to when and where it was first discovered. It was during the 1550 BCE and was first mentioned by Ebers Papyrus in his medical text, considered one of the oldest known texts. In his medical text, although not explicitly mentioned, he mentioned various observations of tumours after undergoing different treatments and ailments. The observations indicated an early recognition of the body’s ability to heal itself by tumours potentially diminishing. However, the “why” and “how” spontaneous remission occurs remains a mystery, there have been suggestions of potential factors and triggers such as biopsy procedures, disruptions of the tumour microenvironment, and infection-mediated immune system activation.
In more depth, early observations have suggested that the infection-mediated immune system may activate spontaneous remission. This was discovered by German physicians Wilhelm Busch and Friedrich Fegleisen, who suggested a potential link between certain infections, like erysipelas, and tumour regression. This was later supported by the introduction of Coley’s Toxin in 1891 (Radha, G., & Lopus, M.2021c). The experiment consisted of heat-inactivated Streptococcus pyogenes and Serratia Marcescens, and results have shown that the toxin demonstrated remarkable recoveries even for patients in advanced cancer stages. However, this idea was later dismissed as there were potential risks, including being infected by these pathogenic bacteria and potential unpredictability in patient response.
Unlike the above-mentioned potential triggers, there are other denominators like the ‘placebo effect’ and immunotherapy that can lead to spontaneous remission of cancer. The ‘placebo effect’ occurs when a person perceives an improvement in their belief in receiving effective treatment (Reporter, G. S. 2020, March 19). Along with this, immunotherapy medications, despite being in their infancy, were found to be effective as they aid in the enhancement of the body’s immune system. There are mentions of this in the book “Cured” by Jeffrey Rediger where he highlights unconventional avenues of improvement including a woman who miraculously improved after going to a faith-healing centre in Brazil and a man who improved through the help of adopting the “keto” diet practice.
Up till current times, many people are still sceptical about the idea of spontaneous remission due to its rarity, in which approximately one in 60,000-100,000 cancer cases have spontaneous remission (Radha, G., & Lopus, M. 2021a). Several case studies provide evidence that Spontaneous remission is real. For instance, a 61-year-old man with extensive metastatic disease miraculously showcased complete “spontaneous remission” of abdominal wall metastases after a hernia surgery. Furthermore, there are also studies indicating that approximately 10% of kidney cancers spreading to the lungs can spontaneously regress, despite being infrequent (Whittington, E. 2020b, December 5).
Although still rare and in its infancy, spontaneous remission provides hope and encouragement to people in their ongoing battle against cancer. Along with the historical context, modern insights have shown that infections and our immune system contribute to this phenomenon. Thus, as technology and research continue to advance and improve, it will help unlock revolutionizing cancer treatments to save these patients.
References:
Eldridge, L., MD. (2021). Spontaneous remission of cancer incidence and causes. Verywell Health. https://www.verywellhealth.com/spontaneous-remission-of-lung-cancer-a-rare-miracle-3971875
Franquet, T., Rosado-De-Christenson, M. L., Marchiori, E., Abbott, G. F., Martínez-Jiménez, S., & López, L. (2020). Uncommon thoracic manifestations from extrapulmonary tumours: Computed tomography evaluation - Pictorial review. Respiratory Medicine, 168, 105986. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rmed.2020.105986
Horino, T., Takao, T., Yamamoto, M., Geshi, T., & Hashimoto, K. (2006). Spontaneous remission of small cell lung cancer: A case report and review in the literature. Lung Cancer, 53(2), 249–252. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lungcan.2006.05.011
Kappauf, H., Gallmeier, W. M., Wünsch, P. H., Mittelmeier, H. O., Birkmann, J., Büschel, G., Kaiser, G., & Kraus, J. (1997). Complete spontaneous remission in a patient with metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer. Annals of Oncology, 8(10), 1031–1039. https://doi.org/10.1023/a:1008209618128
Radha, G., & Lopus, M. (2021a). The spontaneous remission of cancer: Current insights and therapeutic significance. Translational Oncology, 14(9), 101166. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tranon.2021.101166
Radha, G., & Lopus, M. (2021b). The spontaneous remission of cancer: Current insights and therapeutic significance. Translational Oncology, 14(9), 101166. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tranon.2021.101166
Reporter, G. S. (2020a, March 19). Cured by Jeffrey Rediger review – stories of spontaneous healing. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/mar/19/cured-by-jeffrey-rediger-review
Reporter, G. S. (2020b, March 19). Cured by Jeffrey Rediger review – stories of spontaneous healing. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/mar/19/cured-by-jeffrey-rediger-review
What is cancer? (2021, October 11). National Cancer Institute. https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/understanding/what-is-cancer#:~:text=Pittsburgh%20Cancer%20Institute-,The%20Definition%20of%20Cancer,up%20of%20trillions%20of%20cells.
Whittington, E. (2020, December 5). Medical miracle or spontaneous remission? Curetoday. https://www.curetoday.com/view/medical-miracle-or-spontaneous-remission
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