Psychosocial Considerations about Spontaneous Remission of Cancer

The existence of spontaneous remissions (SRs) in cancer disease has been proved by a considerable number of patients whose cancer disease has regressed without (adequate) treatment. In the moment, a lively discussion is going on about a number of explanations of SRs, which focus on psychological and psychosomatic theories and spiritual ideas. In order to broaden the empirical basis and in view of the fact that the psychosomatic approach seems to be very much in danger of speculations, an epidemiological register of these cases is necessary with the aid of which the data, including psychosocial variables, of all patients in question could be documented in a standardized manner. Whereas the fact of spontaneous remissions is generally denied, some people claim the occurrence of such remissions for themselves without justification. This phenomenon leads to the important question of the role of the personal analysis of a psychological theory in coping with the diagnosis of a malignant disease. Copyright 2000 S. Karger GmbH, Freiburg