Spontaneous Regression in Cancer Pathophysiology

Spontaneous regression describes the partial or complete disappearance of malignant disease in the absence of targeted anticancer therapy. Though rare, this phenomenon has been documented across diverse tumour types including melanomas, lymphomas, renal cell carcinomas, neuroblastomas and various carcinomas of the breast and lung. Emerging evidence implicates a multifactorial interplay of immunological activation, tumour microenvironment remodelling, host infection or inflammatory events, hormonal shifts and ischaemic insults. Central to many reported cases is the mobilisation of cytotoxic T lymphocytes and accompanying antigen‐presenting cells within the tumour milieu, sometimes precipitated by minor trauma such as a diagnostic biopsy or incidental infection. Understanding the cellular and molecular drivers of unanticipated tumour clearance holds promise for novel immunotherapeutic strategies and may reveal biomarkers predictive of patient prognosis.

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Spontaneous Regression in Cancer Pathophysiology publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in spontaneous regression in cancer pathophysiology across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Spontaneous regression: The unassisted reduction or disappearance of a malignant tumour without conventional anticancer treatment.

Tumour microenvironment: The complex milieu of non-malignant cells, extracellular matrix and signalling molecules surrounding and interacting with cancer cells.

Immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI): A class of drugs that block regulatory pathways in T cells to enhance antitumour immune responses.

PD-L1 expression: The presence of programmed death ligand-1 on tumour cells, which can inhibit T cell activity and be targeted by certain ICIs.

CD8+ T cells: Cytotoxic lymphocytes that recognise and kill malignant or infected cells presenting specific antigens.

References

1. Case report: Spontaneous remission in lung carcinoma with a late relapse after adjuvant immunotherapy: Exceptional tumor micro-environment. Frontiers in Immunology (2023).
2. What Can Trigger Spontaneous Regression of Breast Cancer?. Diagnostics (2023).
3. Spontaneous remission of advanced progressive poorly differentiated non-small cell lung cancer: a case report and review of literature. BMC Pulmonary Medicine (2019).