What is Spontaneous Remission?

Spontaneous remission is a term that describes a sudden regression of a patient's cancer without any known reason. The rate of occurrence of this phenomenon varies by the type of cancer. As defined, spontaneous remission has no known cause, although researchers and doctors have a few theories.

The term spontaneous remission can describe any sudden improvement of a health issue. It is, however, most commonly applied to a drastic improvement in cancer that has either not been treated or has shown no improvement during treatment. Researchers estimate that the rate of spontaneous remission in all cancer patients is approximately one in 100,000.

Many medical professionals believe this number may be higher because the incidence of this rare medical phenomenon often goes unreported. This can be due to the doctor overseeing the patient's care not reporting the incident, typically to protect the healthcare provider's reputation. Cases may also go unreported because a patient who experienced spontaneous remission did not seek medical treatment. In cases of specific cancers, the rate of spontaneous remission can be much higher. In breast cancer, it is estimated the cancer disappears without treatment in as many as one in five diagnosed cases.

There are several theories regarding the cause of spontaneous remission, sometimes referred to as spontaneous healing. The most common is that a virus with similar components to the cancer cells is introduced to the body. As a general rule, cancer cells are capable of suppressing the immune system, thus significantly reducing the body's ability to fight off the disease. When the body begins making antibodies to destroy the new virus, the antibodies also can fight the cancer cells, thereby resulting in spontaneous remission.

In the same way, some researchers theorize that the specific amount and types of hormones that a patient's body produces may play a role in whether or not the cancer can grow; lack of growth in cancer cells usually results in the disease going into abatement and allowing for regression or remission. It is also possible that an immune response in the body cuts off oxygen to the tumors, thus causing them to die.

Some small studies have found that a select few types of cancer cells are extremely sensitive to natural steroids which the human body produces in times of great stress. As receiving a diagnosis of cancer can be extremely stressful, this could also possibly be the cause of some cases of spontaneous remission. While the majority of doctors believe that the unexpected disappearance of cancer in a patient is possible, many attribute this to a misdiagnosis of cancer in the first place. Spontaneous remission is constantly being studied, however, with more information on this modern miracle coming to light every year.