Spontaneous regression of metastatic melanoma - Clinical evidence of the abscopal effect

Introduction: Metastatic melanoma is poorly understood. Regression of primary lesions has been associated with poor prognosis, but spontaneous regression of all metastatic disease is clearly beneficial. A patient's own immune responses occasionally appear to stimulate spontaneous regression of metastatic disease in melanoma. Patients and methods: We present six interesting cases of complete or nearly complete spontaneous regression of metastatic melanoma, suggest possible causes and review the literature. Results and conclusions: These cases show clear radiological, pathological or clinical evidence of spontaneous regression of metastatic melanoma. This remains a poorly understood phenomena warranting further investigation and may prove useful in the development of immune mediated solutions. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.