Small-cell lung cancer exhibiting spontaneous regression. - GreenMedInfo Summary
Small-cell lung cancer exhibiting spontaneous regression.
Intern Med. 2013 ;52(19):2249-52. Epub 2012 Mar 1. PMID: 24088761
Shin-ichiro Iwakami
A 56-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital because a chest X-ray and thoracic computed tomography (CT) scan revealed a heterogeneous tumor in the middle mediastinum during a visit to a nearby clinic for a consultation regarding a persistent cough and body weight loss. However, the tumor spontaneously decreased on thoracic CT performed on admission. Subsequently, a biopsy of the tumor using video-assisted thoracoscopy was performed. The pathological findings disclosed the tumor to be small-cell lung cancer with infiltration of CD8-positive T-cells exhibiting spontaneous regression. Cell-mediated immunity, including CD8-positive T-cells, may have relevance to the spontaneous regression of malignant tumors.