I found this article by the BBC about rare cases of cancer disappearing and going into complete remission with no treatment - interesting reading. The immune system was solely responsible for eradicating the cancer.
The big question is what triggers an immune system that did not recognize cancer cells to a state where it does and eradicates the cancer?
Alternative medicine advocates believe toxic cleansing and diet can trigger the change in the immune system to make this transition. The idea that the immune system can be triggered to recognize and start attacking cancer seems to have some merit. But this article finds that infections with viruses and bacteria may be the trigger.
Hopefully this can be better understood so that instead of being a rare occurrence it can someday be a common treatment.
"Cancer: The mysterious miracle cases inspiring doctors," BBC, March 6, 2015.
Forums
Re: Rare cases of complete cancer remission with no treatmen
Absolutely fascinating article Eric. Thanks for posting it.
There has been some speculation that infections might actually trigger the onset of multiple myeloma, but it's interesting to think about common infections and diseases also potentially playing a role in arresting the disease. Makes one wonder if a treatment could be as simple as something like a pneumonia vaccine that may be engineered to be less attenuated than what we currently receive today?
There has been some speculation that infections might actually trigger the onset of multiple myeloma, but it's interesting to think about common infections and diseases also potentially playing a role in arresting the disease. Makes one wonder if a treatment could be as simple as something like a pneumonia vaccine that may be engineered to be less attenuated than what we currently receive today?
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Multibilly - Name: Multibilly
- Who do you know with myeloma?: Me
- When were you/they diagnosed?: Smoldering, Nov, 2012
Re: Rare cases of total cancer remission with no treatment
Yes, great article. Thanks!
It reminded me of the current drugs elotuzumab and daratumumab (monoclonal antibodies) that basically highlights or flags the SLAMF7 and CG38 proteins present on virtually all myeloma cells. Once highlighted, our body's own immune system then recognizes them as harmful and destroys them. The good news is that these drugs are slated for approval sometime this year!
As to the idea of an attenuated vaccine, my mind went a different direction -- partially because the article seemed to imply that "wild" or natural infections might be more effective, combined with the recent measles treatments (where massive rather than attenuated doses were used) -- that perhaps no vaccinations and purposeful exposure to measles or Dengue or some other disease might be effective.
Just thinking out loud here ....
Aloha
Daniel
It reminded me of the current drugs elotuzumab and daratumumab (monoclonal antibodies) that basically highlights or flags the SLAMF7 and CG38 proteins present on virtually all myeloma cells. Once highlighted, our body's own immune system then recognizes them as harmful and destroys them. The good news is that these drugs are slated for approval sometime this year!
As to the idea of an attenuated vaccine, my mind went a different direction -- partially because the article seemed to imply that "wild" or natural infections might be more effective, combined with the recent measles treatments (where massive rather than attenuated doses were used) -- that perhaps no vaccinations and purposeful exposure to measles or Dengue or some other disease might be effective.
Just thinking out loud here ....
Aloha
Daniel
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DanielR - Name: Daniel Riebow
- Who do you know with myeloma?: Self
- When were you/they diagnosed?: 12/2012
- Age at diagnosis: 59
Re: Rare cases of total cancer remission with no treatment
Hey Daniel,
I was having the same thoughts as you, but I was thinking that maybe a slightly reduced version of a disease might be a bit more enjoyable than having a full-blown case of the disease. I also wasn't too keen on the idea of picking up an STD ... and dengue fever sounds quite painful. So, a mild, engineered case of pneumonia struck me as a good alternative
By the way, you might also be interested in this article on a couple of documented cases of spontaneous remission (SR) in multiple myeloma. One of the cases points out that SR occurred in the context of an infection - in this case, Staphylococcus aureus (staph).
N Puig et al, "Spontaneous Remission in a Patient With t(4;14) Translocation Multiple Myeloma," Journal of Clinical Oncology, November 2009 (full text PDF of article)
I was having the same thoughts as you, but I was thinking that maybe a slightly reduced version of a disease might be a bit more enjoyable than having a full-blown case of the disease. I also wasn't too keen on the idea of picking up an STD ... and dengue fever sounds quite painful. So, a mild, engineered case of pneumonia struck me as a good alternative
By the way, you might also be interested in this article on a couple of documented cases of spontaneous remission (SR) in multiple myeloma. One of the cases points out that SR occurred in the context of an infection - in this case, Staphylococcus aureus (staph).
N Puig et al, "Spontaneous Remission in a Patient With t(4;14) Translocation Multiple Myeloma," Journal of Clinical Oncology, November 2009 (full text PDF of article)
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Multibilly - Name: Multibilly
- Who do you know with myeloma?: Me
- When were you/they diagnosed?: Smoldering, Nov, 2012
Re: Rare cases of total cancer remission with no treatment
Thanks Multibilly!
Your reasoning seems sound to me
Your reasoning seems sound to me
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DanielR - Name: Daniel Riebow
- Who do you know with myeloma?: Self
- When were you/they diagnosed?: 12/2012
- Age at diagnosis: 59
Re: Rare cases of total cancer remission with no treatment
OK, I must admit I've become intrigued by the BBC article. Turns out that this is not a new concept and the idea has been around since the late 1800's.
ER McCarthy, "The Toxins of William B. Coley and the Treatment of Bone and Soft-Tissue Sarcomas," The Iowa Orthopaedic Journal, 2006 (full text of article at PubMed)
Abstract:
In 1891, William B. Coley injected streptococcal organisms into a patient with inoperable cancer. He thought that the infection he produced would have the side effect of shrinking the malignant tumor. He was successful, and this was one of the first examples of immunotherapy. Over the next forty years, as head of the Bone Tumor Service at Memorial Hospital in New York, Coley injected more than 1000 cancer patients with bacteria or bacterial products. These products became known as Coley's Toxins. He and other doctors who used them reported excellent results, especially in bone and soft-tissue sarcomas.
Despite his reported good results, Coley's Toxins came under a great deal of criticism because many doctors did not believe his results. This criticism, along with the development of radiation therapy and chemotherapy, caused Coley's Toxins to gradually disappear from use. However, the modern science of immunology has shown that Coley's principles were correct and that some cancers are sensitive to an enhanced immune system. Because research is very active in this field, William B. Coley, a bone sarcoma surgeon, deserves the title "Father of Immunotherapy."
ER McCarthy, "The Toxins of William B. Coley and the Treatment of Bone and Soft-Tissue Sarcomas," The Iowa Orthopaedic Journal, 2006 (full text of article at PubMed)
Abstract:
In 1891, William B. Coley injected streptococcal organisms into a patient with inoperable cancer. He thought that the infection he produced would have the side effect of shrinking the malignant tumor. He was successful, and this was one of the first examples of immunotherapy. Over the next forty years, as head of the Bone Tumor Service at Memorial Hospital in New York, Coley injected more than 1000 cancer patients with bacteria or bacterial products. These products became known as Coley's Toxins. He and other doctors who used them reported excellent results, especially in bone and soft-tissue sarcomas.
Despite his reported good results, Coley's Toxins came under a great deal of criticism because many doctors did not believe his results. This criticism, along with the development of radiation therapy and chemotherapy, caused Coley's Toxins to gradually disappear from use. However, the modern science of immunology has shown that Coley's principles were correct and that some cancers are sensitive to an enhanced immune system. Because research is very active in this field, William B. Coley, a bone sarcoma surgeon, deserves the title "Father of Immunotherapy."
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Multibilly - Name: Multibilly
- Who do you know with myeloma?: Me
- When were you/they diagnosed?: Smoldering, Nov, 2012
Re: Rare cases of total cancer remission with no treatment
Day 43 post SCT and all of the discussion about viruses and cancer makes me wonder about getting re-vaccinated.
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lorigualandri
Re: Rare cases of total cancer remission with no treatment
Thanks for posting the interesting BBC article, Eric, and the comments are interesting too! The reference to Coley's toxins is something I studied in an online biology class also, Multibilly.
At a rate of cure of only 1 in 100,000, I wouldn't be giving up on any of the prescribed chemotherapy or vaccinations though!
I think that one of the ideas in the article is that fever, which is part of the body's attack system against invading microorganisms such as bacteria and viruses, could also rarely be effective against cancer cells. Maybe the cancer cells would have to be circulating in the bloodstream also though, which isn't the case for a lot of myeloma cells, which are ensconced in the bone marrow.
The abstract below is about how fever can induce 'heat shock proteins', which are part of the immune response. That is one reason why if one has a mild fever due to an infection, it may be beneficial not to suppress it with analgesics. If it is a high fever, which could even be a neutropenic fever, one should seek immediate medical attention!
So perhaps the cancer cells got caught up in the immune response to an infection, and were destroyed that way.
JD Hasday & IS Sing, "Fever and the heat shock response: distinct, partially overlapping processes," Cell Stress Chaperones, Nov 2000 (full text at PubMed)
Abstract:
The heat shock response is an ancient and highly conserved process that is essential for surviving environmental stresses, including extremes of temperature. Fever is a more recently evolved response, during which organisms temporarily subject themselves to thermal stress in the face of infections.
We review studies showing that fever is beneficial in the infected host. We show that core temperatures achieved during fever can activate the heat shock response and discuss some of the biochemical consequences of such an effect. We present data suggesting 4 possible mechanisms by which fever might confer protection:
(1) directly killing or inhibiting growth of pathogens;
(2) inducing cytoprotective heat shock proteins (Hsps) in host cells;
(3) inducing expression of pathogen Hsps, an activator of host defenses; and
(4) modifying and orchestrating host defenses.
Two of these mechanisms directly involve the heat shock response. We describe how heat shock factor-1, the predominant heat-induced transcriptional enhancer not only activates transcription of Hsps but also regulates expression of pivotal cytokines and early response genes.
The relationship between fever and the heat shock response is an illuminating example of how a more recently evolved response might exploit preexisting biochemical pathways for a new function.
At a rate of cure of only 1 in 100,000, I wouldn't be giving up on any of the prescribed chemotherapy or vaccinations though!
I think that one of the ideas in the article is that fever, which is part of the body's attack system against invading microorganisms such as bacteria and viruses, could also rarely be effective against cancer cells. Maybe the cancer cells would have to be circulating in the bloodstream also though, which isn't the case for a lot of myeloma cells, which are ensconced in the bone marrow.
The abstract below is about how fever can induce 'heat shock proteins', which are part of the immune response. That is one reason why if one has a mild fever due to an infection, it may be beneficial not to suppress it with analgesics. If it is a high fever, which could even be a neutropenic fever, one should seek immediate medical attention!
So perhaps the cancer cells got caught up in the immune response to an infection, and were destroyed that way.
JD Hasday & IS Sing, "Fever and the heat shock response: distinct, partially overlapping processes," Cell Stress Chaperones, Nov 2000 (full text at PubMed)
Abstract:
The heat shock response is an ancient and highly conserved process that is essential for surviving environmental stresses, including extremes of temperature. Fever is a more recently evolved response, during which organisms temporarily subject themselves to thermal stress in the face of infections.
We review studies showing that fever is beneficial in the infected host. We show that core temperatures achieved during fever can activate the heat shock response and discuss some of the biochemical consequences of such an effect. We present data suggesting 4 possible mechanisms by which fever might confer protection:
(1) directly killing or inhibiting growth of pathogens;
(2) inducing cytoprotective heat shock proteins (Hsps) in host cells;
(3) inducing expression of pathogen Hsps, an activator of host defenses; and
(4) modifying and orchestrating host defenses.
Two of these mechanisms directly involve the heat shock response. We describe how heat shock factor-1, the predominant heat-induced transcriptional enhancer not only activates transcription of Hsps but also regulates expression of pivotal cytokines and early response genes.
The relationship between fever and the heat shock response is an illuminating example of how a more recently evolved response might exploit preexisting biochemical pathways for a new function.
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Nancy Shamanna - Name: Nancy Shamanna
- Who do you know with myeloma?: Self and others too
- When were you/they diagnosed?: July 2009
Re: Rare cases of total cancer remission with no treatment
Sorry to sound negative on this issue ... but I had a serious dose of pneumonia after being diagnosed with multiple myeloma that put me into hospital for 2 weeks. Subsequently, there was no change to my diagnosis. However, I must mention that I was on powerful antibiotics during this admission, so that may have had a modifying effect.
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sunnybrisbane - Name: Shirley R-M
- Who do you know with myeloma?: me
- When were you/they diagnosed?: 2012
- Age at diagnosis: 70
Re: Rare cases of total cancer remission with no treatment
Hey Eric,
This just came out in the Wall Street Journal:
"Cancer Survival Boosted by Tetanus Shot With Vaccine", Wall Street Journal, March 11, 2015 (link to article)
Related journal article:
DA Mitchell et al, "Tetanus toxoid and CCL3 improve dendritic cell vaccines in mice and glioblastoma patients," Nature, March 11, 2015 (link to abstract)
This just came out in the Wall Street Journal:
"Cancer Survival Boosted by Tetanus Shot With Vaccine", Wall Street Journal, March 11, 2015 (link to article)
A common tetanus booster shot given to patients with a deadly form of brain cancer shortly before an experimental cancer vaccine prolonged their survival, a small study found.
Duke University researchers who led the study say the regimen could mark a new way to stimulate the body’s immune system to attack tumors, a growing area of interest in cancer treatment. The scientific journal Nature published the study results online Wednesday ...
The median overall survival of the six patients who received only the vaccine was 18.5 months from the time of diagnosis. The six patients who received the tetanus booster lived longer on average. The first three who died lived from 20 to 26 months after diagnosis. Two others lived for nearly five and six years, respectively. A sixth patient is still alive more than eight years after diagnosis, according to Duke.
Related journal article:
DA Mitchell et al, "Tetanus toxoid and CCL3 improve dendritic cell vaccines in mice and glioblastoma patients," Nature, March 11, 2015 (link to abstract)
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antelope1225 - Name: Cathy1225
- Who do you know with myeloma?: Myself
- When were you/they diagnosed?: May 25 2012
- Age at diagnosis: 55
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