# Spontaneous remission **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 7, 2000, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spontaneous-remission/5913 "2000-01-07T06:42:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2000, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spontaneous-remission/5913/1 "2000-01-07T06:42:00Z")
Not being in the medical field, this is one of the most bewildering (to me) aspects of cancer. Occasionally, a cancer will go into spontaneous remission, but do we have any ideas as to why? I assume that the cancer cells, while mutant, look to the body like “normal” cells. But something happens–either the body wakes up and realizes that they’re bad or there’s some change in the cells themselves, or something else. What does the body of medical research have to say on this, or are they just as bewildered? ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2000, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spontaneous-remission/5913/2 "2000-01-07T23:26:00Z")
Just popping it back up in case someone has any info. ---
**Author:** ![torq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dfb087/32.png) [@torq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/torq)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2000, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spontaneous-remission/5913/3 "2000-01-08T02:26:00Z")
Since no one else has answered… I’m pretty sure that “spontaneous remission” is med-speak for “It got better. We don’t know why. You can pay the receptionist on the way out.” ---
**Author:** ![Alphagene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Alphagene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alphagene)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2000, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spontaneous-remission/5913/4 "2000-01-08T02:33:00Z")
Actually, AFAIK, many cancer cells are immunologically disinct. The immune system’s recognition of cancer cells is a major area of cancer biology research. Anyway I found something on Medicinenet regarding [remission](http://www.medicinenet.com/Script/Main/Art.asp?li=MNI&d=71&ArticleKey=311&page=2) > [@](#): > > Doctors often talk about surviving cancer, or they may use the term remission rather than cure. Even though many cancer patients can be cured, doctors use these terms because the disease can recur. * * * I’m not perky. ---
**Author:** ![Alphagene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Alphagene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alphagene)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2000, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spontaneous-remission/5913/5 "2000-01-08T02:35:00Z")
Take two. Screw the link. Medicinenet regarding remission: > [@](#): > > Doctors often talk about surviving cancer, or they may use the term remission rather than cure. Even though many cancer patients can be cured, doctors use these terms because the disease can recur. * * * I’m not perky. ---
**Author:** ![Jois](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ea666f/32.png) [@Jois](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jois)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2000, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spontaneous-remission/5913/6 "2000-01-08T02:41:00Z")
I haven’t heard that for years, maybe I hang out with the wrong crowd. I also remember someone saying “G.O.K.” which meant “God only knows” probably in the same department. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2000, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spontaneous-remission/5913/7 "2000-01-08T04:02:00Z")
Certain types of cancers have different relationships with the immune system than others. The cancer types with the strongest tumor-immune system interaction are the most likely to spontaneously remit. These include certain types of lymphomas, renal cell cancer (aka hypernephroma or kidney cancer), and melanoma. Doctors have tried various protocols using interferon in an attempt to stimulate the immune system, and induce an immune-mediated remission, but I believe these trials have been abandoned some time ago. A different kind of sppontaneous remission occurs in rapidly growing solid tumors which have not metastasized. Here the tumor grows faster than the blood vessels needed to supply oxygen & nutrients & “auto-infarcts” (infarct = tissue death from lack of oxygen.) Again, researchers are trying to exploit this natural phenomenon by using drugs which interfere with the growth of new blood vessels. These appear very promising (but I haven’t yet bought stock in the companies working on this). * * * Sue from El Paso Experience is what you get when you didn’t get what you wanted.