Spontaneous 19-year Regression Of Oat Cell Carcinoma With Scalene Node Metastasis
Cancer 58(4): Aug 15 1986; 978-980
View Original Source →Abstract
A 61-year-old man was found to have squamous cell carcinoma of the left hilum with metastasis to the left adrenal gland documented by needle aspiration. About two years later, the primary tumor is not detectable, and the adrenal gland is of normal size on follow-up computerized tomography. To our knowledge, this is the first documented case of spontaneous regression of squamous cell carcinoma of the lung with adrenal metastasis. “In conclusion,” the author states, “Spontaneous regression of cancer seems to be a real phenomenon whose mechanism remains unknown. This area should continue to attract research, as it certainly harbors clues which may some day aid in further elucidating the mystery of cancer.”
Case Details
Personal Characteristics
55-year-old white man, history of smoking 30 cigarettes per day for years, quit 4 months before admission
Clinical Characteristics
Shortness of breath of 6-weeks’ duration, suspicious palpable glands in the right supraclavicular area, prominence along the right mediastinal border just above the hilus, acute shoulder problem, typical angina pectoris, chest pain, hiatal hernia, reflex esophagitis
Remission Characteristics
Alive 19 years after the original diagnosis, no gross evidence of malignancy present seven years before the publication of this report, routine chest x-ray reported as negative five years after the diagnosis, no gross evidence of any malignancy during aortasaphenous vein bypass surgery
Treatment & Mechanisms
Proposed Remission Mechanisms
Not discussed
Clinical Treatment
Right scalene node biopsy, coronary bypass surgery, aortasaphenous vein bypass to the right coronary artery and left internal mammary artery bypass to the left anterior descending coronary artery, arteriography study
Additional Notes
Patient was considered inoperable and incurable at the time of diagnosis. The patient was last seen in 1980, under treatment with cimetidine hydrochloride for a reflex esophagitis.