Spontaneous Cure Of Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma; Meeting Abstract

Abstract

Absence of discernible disease for an acceptable interval of time supports the supposition that the disease may have been cured. The most striking type of spontaneous cure of any tumor is the spontaneous regression of a gross neoplasm that is measurable and obvious without treatment of any type. This has never been reported for adenoid cystic carcinoma, and indeed it is a rare biologic phenomenon with any neoplasm. The evidence in this report is presented and the evidence is circumstantial. Its premise is that the operated-on adenoid cystic carcinoma in these specific circumstances had overwhelming possibilities to recur, but failed to do so. This suggests that the presumed microscopic residual cancer was cured by a biologic process originating in the host or in the neoplasm itself. Three long-term cases, two of pulmonary metastasis, are presented to support this possibility.