Spontaneous Regression of Advanced Malignant Melanoma

Maurer, Stefanie; Kölmel, K. F.

doi:10.1159/000026785

Cited by 18 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…However, several concurrent events are often cited in the literature: febrile infection, operative procedures, hormonal influences, immunologic factors, or no objective cause 13 . Of particular interest in this case is the preceding fever, which we attribute to the patient's dtap inoculation.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In fact, Maurer and Koelmel's review of 68 melanoma regression cases noted that 21 were preceded by a febrile episode, of which 9 were attributed to erysipelas 13 . Of historical interest is Coley's toxin, which consisted of heat-treated Streptococcus pyogenes and Serratia marcescens, created by William B. Coley, which was used with variable success a century ago in the treatment of sarcoma 14 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Spontaneous Regression of Metastatic Melanoma after Inoculation with Tetanus–Diphtheria–Pertussis Vaccine

Tran

Burt²,

Eapen

et al. 2013

Current Oncology

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After 3 months, a right inguinal lymph node dissection revealed involvement in 1 of 6 lymph nodes. Clinical examination and computed tomography imaging showed no evidence of distant metastasis. The patient was considered to have T2bN1aM0 stage iiib disease.One month later, the patient started a 4-week induction course of adjuvant high-dose interferon alfa at a daily dose of 36×10 6 U intravenously 5 days per week, followed by an 11-month course of 18×10 6 U interferon alfa 3 times weekly subcutaneously for maintenance. He tolerated this regimen well, with some symptoms of muscle pain, diarrhea, fever, and occasional headaches in addition to a slight elevation of liver enzymes.Eleven months into therapy, the patient developed multiple (approximately 15) in-transit metastases in the upper right thigh. These erythematous lesions ranged in size from 1 mm to 10 mm. Two other similar subcutaneous nodules were also seen on the upper lateral aspect of the right thigh (Figure 1). The patient underwent palliative radiotherapy of 40 Gy in 10 fractions to each nodule and 30 Gy in 10 fractions to the intervening skin, with good response. Followup imaging showed no other recurrence. The patient completed his 1-year course of interferon.Six months after the course of interferon, the patient developed a tender 5-mm nodule above the left nipple, a 5-mm axillary nodule, and a small nodule under the chin and on the central back. The chest lesion was excised and proved to be melanoma. A punch biopsy of the left axillary nodule revealed a malignant non-melanin tumour. Immunohistochemistry for melanoma was positive for S100, mart-1, and tyrosinase, and negative for HMB45, suggesting metastatic disease 1 . Immunohistochemistry of the primary lesion was not available. In addition, imaging showed new right-middle-lobe lung nodules measuring up to 3.5 mm in diameter, and an enlarged 15×13-mm right external iliac lymph node. Investigations were initiated for enrollment in a trial for what was now stage iv disease. ABSTRACTSpontaneous regression of metastatic melanoma is an exceedingly rare event, with only 76 well-documented cases in the literature since 1866. Here, we present the case of a patient who developed metastatic melanoma despite interferon therapy and who then achieved spontaneous regression shortly after a reaction to tetanus-diphtheria-pertussis vaccination. A common theme among these cases is the development of febrile illness before remission of the malignant disease. A brief overview of proposed mechanisms for these miraculous recoveries is presented, including a highlight on the potential role of the herv-k-mel viral marker, a nona-or decapeptide that appears in most melanomas, with homologies to peptides in pathogenic microorganisms.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spontaneous Regression of Metastatic Melanoma after Inoculation with Tetanus–Diphtheria–Pertussis Vaccine

Tran

Burt²,

Eapen

et al. 2013

Current Oncology

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“…Only 0.23% (one per 400 patients) of metastases from melanoma is characterized by spontaneous regression and, since 1886, 76 cases of metastatic melanoma with spontaneous regression have been reported. Cutaneous and subcutaneous metastases are the lesions that are most frequently found to have spontaneous remission followed by lymph node, pulmonary, hepatic, cerebral, intestinal, bone metastases and other localizations [46,[48][49][50][51][52]]. …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spontaneous regression of transplacental metastases from maternal melanoma in a newborn: case report and review of the literature

Menada

Moioli²,

Garaventa³

et al. 2010

Melanoma Research

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We describe a rare case of transplacental-transmitted maternal melanoma to the placenta and foetus during the second pregnancy of a 28-year-old woman. She was aware of a greyish-brown nodular lesion on the right gluteus during her first pregnancy. On histological examination, this lesion resulted to be an amelanocitic melanoma. Breast metastases occurred during her second pregnancy, 18 months after the surgical excision; an emergency Caesarean section performed for the recrudement of her clinical conditions confirmed widespread metastases to the liver, spleen and peritoneum. The patient died 2 weeks after delivery. The newborn, at 3 months of age, presented metastases secondary to maternal melanoma, which were resistant to chemotherapy. The disease regressed spontaneously and the child is now 24 months, alive in complete remission.

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“…In melanoma, a particular immunogenic variant of cancer, about 1/400 patients experience a spontaneous regression. In a collection of 68 well-documented cases of regression from melanoma, Maurer and Koelmel (1998) found 21 cases with febrile infection preceding regression (31%), in a majority of cases (nine) identified as erysipelas.…”

Section: Fever and Spontaneous Regressionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fever therapy revisited

Hobohm¹

2005

Br J Cancer

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The phenomenon of spontaneous regression and remission from cancer has been observed by many physicians and was described in hundreds of publications. However, suggestive clues on cause or trigger are sparse and not substantiated by much experimental evidence. In this review, literature is surveyed and summarised and possible causes are discussed. At least in a larger fraction of cases a hefty feverish infection is linked with spontaneous regression in time and is investigated as putative trigger. Epidemiological and immunological evidence is put into perspective. An online forum to discuss the possible application of fever therapy in the future can be accessed at http://bioinfo.tg.fh-giessen.de/fever-and-cancer.

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Spontaneous Regression of Advanced Malignant Melanoma

Cited by 18 publications

References 27 publications

Spontaneous Regression of Metastatic Melanoma after Inoculation with Tetanus–Diphtheria–Pertussis Vaccine

Spontaneous Regression of Metastatic Melanoma after Inoculation with Tetanus–Diphtheria–Pertussis Vaccine

Spontaneous regression of transplacental metastases from maternal melanoma in a newborn: case report and review of the literature

Fever therapy revisited

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