著者

中川 俊二 吉村 睦夫 永田 [チカ]子 松岡 茂 池見 酉次郎

出版者

一般社団法人日本心身医学会

雑誌

心身医学 (ISSN:03850307)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.21, no.3, pp.217-227, 1981-06-01

被引用文献数

1

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Spontaneous regression of cancer (SRC) was classified according to the definition by Everson and Cole in 1966 and it was decided to recognize as the proper cases those which met the following requirements. 1) The reduction of a cancer which has been pathohistologically confirmed. 2 ) The reduction of a cancer in spite of unsatisfactory therapy or in the absence of any anti-cancer therapy. 3 ) The long survival of the host body due to extremely delayed progress or prolonged arrest of cancer with no rapid growth of a malignant tumor. 4 ) The long survival of the host body with no cachectic change of cancer in the presence of some anti-cancer therapy or the death of the host body after long survival due to some cause other than cancer. We have collected 35 cases of SRC. We studied each case from pathohistological findings and immunological characteristics (mainly digestive cancer patients) and found some interesting facts. The SRC cases are all primary cancers identified as 17 digestive cancers, 6 lung cancers, 4 vocal cord cancers, 2 liver cancers, 2 rectal cancers, and others. 54. 3% were males whereas 45. 7% were females. The classification of cancer according to histological findings are as follows ; 19 adeno carcinoma, 8 squamous cell carcinoma, 2 hepatoma, 2 carcinoma simplex, 2 scirrhous carcinoma, 1 undifferentiated carcinoma and 1 osteosarcoma. Now* we would like to review pathohistological studies of the organism's reaction to cancer. Watanabe stated that the degree of the lymphocyte infiltration of gastric cancer stroma and the histiocyte reaction of regional lymphocytes are related to the prognosis of cancer (lymphoid stroma). We found many cases of lymphoid stroma as the result of our histological study of the SRC in digestive cases. Psychological evaluation revealed that they had marked tendency to repress their feelings. But after they knew they had cancer, they stopped their bad habits completely and started to live a meaningful life on a day-to-day base by doing service to their surroundings. This can be called what Booth says " an existential shift." It was characteristic of these cases that the patient showed no sign of depression, fear of death and loss of meaning of life after they found their cancer.