Spontaneous remission of cancer--a thyroid hormone dependent phenomenon?

Spontaneous remission (SR) of neoplasia is a rare biological event. Very few reports provide evidence for an eliciting event or mechanism. The only case in the literature of SR of lung cancer following myxedema coma is suggested to have been an instance of thyroid hormone deprivation-induced total tumor apoptosis. Review of the collective data suggests that the thyroid hormones modulate pleiotropic neoplasia--abetting mechanisms and that hypothyroidism may enhance the predisposition of neoplasms to spontaneous and therapy induced regression by lowering thresholds for apoptosis.